Japan’s Nagoya, Aichi resume talks on joint 2026 Asian Games bid

(Reuters) – Representatives of Nagoya city and Aichi Prefecture have visited the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) office in Tokyo and informed the governing body they intend to resume talks regarding a joint bid to host the 2026 Asian Games.

Nagoya’s deputy mayor Teruo Shinkai told reporters on Monday that his city would restart “best efforts once again toward a joint bid”, Japan’s Kyodo News Agency reported.

Discussions between officials from the prefecture and their counterparts from its capital Nagoya stalled last week as the prefecture had not yet come up with detailed estimates to help them identify how costs would be split.

Aichi’s prefectural government has since indicated to Nagoya that total costs are estimated to reach roughly 85 billion yen ($834 million).

About 25 billion yen is expected to be covered by sponsorships and other revenue, with the prefecture paying two-thirds of the remainder and Nagoya the rest.

The JOC is scheduled to take a decision on Japan’s candidate site for the 2026 Asian Games later on Tuesday.

The Olympic Council of Asia is expected to select the host location at a meeting scheduled for Sept. 25 in Danang, Vietnam.

Japan last hosted the Asian Games in Hiroshima in 1994. The next Games will be held in Indonesia’s Jakarta and Palembang from Aug. 18 to Sept. 2, 2018.

($1 = 101.9100 yen)

(Reporting by Simon Jennings in Bengaluru; editing by Sudipto Ganguly)