Doha to host 2030 Asian Games, Riyadh awarded 2034 edition

HANGZHOU -- Qatar will host the 2030 Asian Games, while the other middle eastern candidate Riyadh in Saudi Arabia will stage the 22nd Asian Games four years later, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced on Wednesday.

The Qatari capital Doha was finally announced as the winner after the vote by 45 OCA member committees at the 39th OCA General Assembly held in Muscat, Oman and online, after repeated delays caused by problems with the online voting system.

As per the decision made earlier by the OCA executive board, Riyadh was awarded the 2034 edition as runner-up in the vote.

"I will be glad to have two games in west Asia, to be honest," said OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah.

Doha hosted the 15th Asian Games in 2006, but Saudi Arabia has never organized an OCA multi-sport event.

The next two Asian Games will be held in East Asia, China's Hangzhou in 2022 and Japan's Aichi and Nagoya in 2026, before the Games moves to West Asia.