NAGOYA - A senior Saudi Arabian sports official said Friday that the kingdom is open to shifting the 2034 Asian Games in Riyadh to 2035 as the continental multi-sport event explores closer alignment with the Olympics.
Abdulaziz Baeshen, Secretary General of the Saudi Olympic and Paralympic Committee, told Kyodo News that such a change would also help avoid a potential scheduling clash with the 2034 FIFA World Cup, which Saudi Arabia is set to host.
The Olympic Council of Asia is discussing plans with international sports federations to move the Asian Games to the year preceding the Olympics, with the aim of increasing the number of Olympic qualifying events during the continental games.
Baeshen said he would welcome the switch, noting that it would prevent the Asian Games and the World Cup from overlapping. He added that Saudi Arabia was closely watching efforts to move the 2030 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, to 2031, a year ahead of the 2032 Brisbane Olympics.
"One of the things happening on the Asian side is a discussion with the Olympic Council of Asia, starting from Doha, about possibly moving the games by a year so that they become a continental qualifier," Baeshen said. "So maybe the Asian Games won't be in 2034 but in 2035. That's under discussion."
"It would also mean the two events (the Asian Games and the World Cup) wouldn't be at the same time."
Baeshen said Saudi Arabia had achieved its best-ever result at the Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and was poised to build on its success, with the average age of its team under 23.
"We'd like more golds in the future, but we're at 17 medals, which is the highest we've ever had at an Asian Games, and that's exciting," he said. "It's a young cohort, and we're preparing them for the Doha Asian Games, but also for Riyadh, when we host in 2034."
