Asian Games head to Qatar in 2030

Manila Times - Oct 6, 2026

NAGOYA, Japan — The 20th Asian Games were a blur, a sports kaleidoscope of 45 countries and regions that went dark on Sunday, closed officially by Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, the president of the Olympic Council of Asia. The games featured about 11,000 athletes — more than the Summer Olympics two years ago in Paris. And now they head west to Doha, Qatar, in 2030. This will be a homecoming. Sheikh Joaan is a Qatari, a younger brother of the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Al Thani. Amid the whirlwind of 43 sports — there were many regional specialties featured like kurash, kabaddi and sepaktakraw — the games provided a glimpse at many top athletes who will compete again in two years at the Los Angeles Olympics. China topped the medal table as it has for decades with 169 gold and 341 overall. Japan was second with 83 gold and 269 overall. South Korea (39, 150) was next followed by India (21, 85), Uzbekistan (21, 70) and Iran (19, 52). Forty of the 45 countries or regions won at least one medal. The bottom four won only a single bronze medal: Bangladesh, Brunei, Laos and Syria. Athletes to watch in Olympics Japanese 17-year-old Shin Ohashi...

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