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| POC president Bambol Tolentino joined other top sports officials in launching the WKF Karate One Youth League. Ivan Saldajeno |
PASAY—The previous Asian Games, pushed back by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, would not be the only Asiad to take place in an odd-numbered year.
If Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino is to be asked, it may become a permanent fixture after this year's meet.
Tolentino bared on Friday that the next two Asian Games after the Japan hosting from Sept. 19-Oct. 4 will take place in odd-numbered years.
Two Middle Eastern nations, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, will host the next two editions, but, according to Tolentino, the staging will now take place in 2031 and 2035, respectively.
This also means that there will be a five-year gap between the Nagoya and Doha games.
The Asian Games actually began in an odd-numbered year—1951, specifically—but since the next staging, which the Philippines hosted in 1954, the meet has been held in even-numbered years that are not leap years.
The recent exception was the 2023 edition in China, which was supposed to be held in 2022 but was postponed due to the pandemic.
This time, though, it was the International Olympic Committee's call to move the Asiad to odd-numbered years regardless of whether another health scare will happen soon or not.
"Wala na kaming magagawa dahil we have to follow. Yun din yung reaction nung entire board ng OCA, so we have to follow and adopt the recommendation of the IOC that the Asian Games should be one year before the Summer Olympics," Tolentino said at the sidelines of the press launch of the WKF Karate One Youth League at the Lansons Place Ballroom here.
One concern that would arise once the new Asian Games calendar takes effect is that the Filipino athletes will now have to think about two events in the same year, as the quadrennial meet will now be held in a Southeast Asian Games year, too.
However, Tolentino believes the adjustments would not be as hard as the Philippines usually sends a smaller delegation to the Asiad than to the SEA Games.
"Di naman ganun karami yung delegates ng Asian Games compared doon sa SEA Games, so different preparations yun," he further said, adding that both meets' schedules will not coincide.
The Asian Games traditionally take place in August or September, while the SEA Games usually happen before Christmas.
Despite this, Tolentino is expecting that some Asian Games athletes will see action too in the SEA Games, with only a few months to transition.
If there is one good thing about rescheduling the Asian Games to odd-numbered years, according to Tolentino, it is that the meet can now serve as a gauge on who makes it to the Summer Olympics the following year.
"Parang ganun ang dating. Baka maging qualifier ang Asian Games," Tolentino added.
He further said that Qatar has yet to announce the new dates of the Asian Games, originally scheduled for Nov. 4-19, 2030.
When that happens, though, the Philippine team will now have to recalibrate how they shift their attention from the Asiad to the SEA Games in just a few months.
