Nagoya (Japan), Sep 29 — The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has reaffirmed that E-sports will continue in the Asian Games and will not be withdrawn after the ongoing 2026 edition in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
In a statement issued on Monday, OCA Director General Husain Al Musallam stated that E-sports would continue "within the Asian Games" and that the OCA would continue to support the development of E-sports in Asia.
The OCA said it has not made or issued any announcement regarding E-sports withdrawing from the Asian Games. The statement "E-sports withdraws from the Asian Games" circulating online does not align with the work arrangements of the OCA.
On September 19, 2026, the OCA signed a host city contract with Kuwait, confirming the hosting rights for the first Asian E-sports and Mind Sports Games in 2027.
Al Musallam said: "The popularity of E-sports in Asia is a key consideration for the OCA in making the aforementioned arrangements. The establishment of the Asian E-sports and Mind Sports Games aims to provide more platforms for Asian athletes to showcase their talents and will not diminish the status of E-sports within the Asian Games system.
"The OCA will continue to support the development of E-sports in Asia and will further promote and publicise E-sports in its other sporting events," Al Musallam added.
E-sports made its debut as a demonstration event at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang and became an official medal sport at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games, yielding a total of seven gold medals. Its momentum and influence in Asia continue to rise.
At the ongoing Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, there are a total of 11 e-sports events: Combat Sports, Pokemon Unite, Honour of Kings, League of Legends, Game for Peace Asian Games Edition, Peak Battle, Identity V Asian Games Edition, Naraka: Bladepoint, GT Racing 7, eFootball, and Magic Bubble Championship.