Asian cricket boards have raised concerns over playing conditions and accommodation for the 2026 Asian Games in Japan, triggering plans for the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to inspect the cricket venue and hotels before the competition begins on September 17.
The concerns span the recently installed pitch at Korogi Sports Park, limited dressing-room facilities and the size of hotel rooms assigned to players, according to a report by The Indian Express. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) first raised the issues at an ACC meeting, after which members including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan discussed the arrangements.
The ACC is now set to send representatives to examine both the ground and player accommodation ahead of the tournament.
Converted baseball venue faces scrutiny
Korogi Sports Park in Nisshin, east of Nagoya, was converted from a baseball facility and made ready for cricket in March 2026. The ground retains a pitcher’s mound and has temporary seating for around 2,000 spectators.
Its hybrid cricket square is predominantly natural grass, with a smaller proportion of polyethylene fibres incorporated into the surface. Competitive experience at the venue remains limited, although it staged the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier in May.
A source told The Indian Express: “It is a very rudimentary ground, and there remains a question mark over the quality of the pitch. It has been laid very recently and, apart from one tournament, that too in May, hasn’t been tested much. There are no proper dressing rooms as well,”
Adam Birss, Korogi Sports Park’s Asian Games Operations Manager, told AFP in May that the pitch was expected to be “bouncy, despite typhoon season usually arriving in Japan in September.”
The conditions will be tested by some of Asia’s leading players during the Games, with India’s men’s squad including Captain Shreyas Iyer, Jasprit Bumrah and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.
Player accommodation adds to concerns
Accommodation has emerged as a separate issue for the participating cricket teams. Unlike previous editions of the Asian Games, Aichi-Nagoya 2026 will not operate a conventional Athletes’ Village for approximately 15,000 participants.
Athletes will instead be accommodated across a luxury cruise liner, Games Villas and hotels. According to the Olympic Council of Asia, cricketers are among the athletes who will stay in Nagoya hotels, approximately 20 kilometres from the cricket venue.
An official told The Indian Express that the rooms are believed to be “too small for two people to share, along with their individual kitbags and luggage.”
The same official added: “It is a genuine problem, since the rooms are very tiny. If one player opens a kitbag, there won’t be much space left to stand. We are trying to figure out a solution to this problem,”
BCCI takes concerns to Games organisers
Following the discussions among cricket boards, the BCCI approached both the Indian Olympic Association (IOA) and the Asian Games Organising Committee over the arrangements.
An IOA official told The Indian Express: “Since we do not have any role in the technical aspects of a sport, we have advised the BCCI to consult the Organising Committee.”
The Organising Committee had not responded to questions about the concerns at the time covered by the supplied information.
India plans early arrival and practice matches
India’s men’s and women’s teams are expected to travel to Nagoya around September 14 or 15, giving them time to prepare before their respective campaigns.
Harmanpreet Kaur’s women’s team will begin against hosts Japan on September 18. The women’s cricket competition starts on September 17 and runs through the medal matches on September 22.
The Shreyas Iyer-led men’s side enters later, with India receiving a bye into the quarterfinals and scheduled to play its first tournament match on September 28. Before that fixture, the team is expected to play two practice matches against local club sides and another against Japan to acclimatise to the conditions.
The men’s competition begins on September 24 and concludes with the bronze-medal match and final on October 3. Before competitive cricket gets underway, the planned ACC inspection will provide an opportunity to assess the venue and accommodation arrangements that have prompted concerns from participating boards.
