CNMSports

How Japan Turned a Baseball Facility Into a Cricket Ground for Asian Games 2026

Cricket will have a new home when the Asian Games begin in Aichi-Nagoya. And the story of that venue is almost as interesting as the cricket it will host. The Korogi Athletic Park in Nisshin City, east of Nagoya, was until recently a baseball facility. It has now been remodelled for cricket, providing Japan with a new international-standard venue in a country where baseball remains overwhelmingly popular. The official Aichi-Nagoya Games website describes it as Japans second facility with a natural-grass pitch meeting international competition requirements. The transformation was driven by necessity. When the Olympic Council of Asia and local organisers wanted cricket in the Aichi-Nagoya Games, the lack of a suitable venue in the region was a major obstacle. An international cricket ground already existed at Sano in Tochigi, north of Tokyo, but it was considered too far from Nagoya. The solution was to adapt an existing sports facility rather than build a new cricket stadium. That makes Korogi more than just another Asian Games ground. It is an experiment in how cricket can enter countries without an established network of cricket stadiums. Korogi Athletic Park is about 20 kilometres from central Nagoya and has three baseball fields. The cricket ground was completed in late March 2026, with a hybrid pitch square providing the final major part of the conversion. The venue got an important test when it hosted six matches in the ICC Mens T20 World Cup East Asia-Pacific Qualifier, a pathway tournament towards the 2028 T20 World Cup. The ground accommodated about 1,000 spectators during the qualifier, with temporary stands planned to increase capacity to around 2,000 for the Asian Games. The pitch combines natural grass with polyethylene fibres and uses technology like the hybrid surface at Port Vila in Vanuatu. During the qualifier, Papua New Guinea and the Cook Islands produced 359 runs, while the surface showed characteristics capable of offering both bounce and turn. Korogi Athletic Park is now the venue for all T20 cricket at the Asian Games, with the mens and womens competitions beginning on September 17. For the Japan Cricket Association, however, the Asian Games could be only the beginning.The JCA wants the Nisshin facility to become part of Japans regular cricket infrastructure, alongside the Sano International Cricket Ground. A major sporting event can provide a short-term spotlight, but the real test is what remains after it moves on. There are practical limitations. The association may not have access to the land or resources to maintain a full cricket wicket for more than about 20 days a year, although an additional synthetic-wicket facility is being developed. That gives the venue significance beyond September. Japan is trying to make cricket part of its sporting landscape rather than simply borrowing a facility for an international tournament. Multi-sport events have become an important vehicle for crickets expansion. Cricket will also return to the Olympic programme at Los Angeles 2028 after a 128-year absence. For Japan, the Asian Games offer an opportunity to introduce cricket to an audience that may know little about it. The Nisshin project fits into a wider effort to develop the sport.As hosts, Japans mens and womens teams also qualify automatically, giving local spectators a reason to identify with their national teams while watching leading Asian sides and players at close quarters. The venue, therefore, has two jobs: host a high-level international tournament and help create a new cricket audience. Japans experiment highlights a larger challenge facing cricket as it enters new territories. The United States faced a similar problem during the 2024 T20 World Cup, using temporary stadium infrastructure and drop-in pitches at venues not traditionally associated with cricket. Also Read: Special Cricket Stories Japan has taken a different route adapting an existing baseball facility rather than building an entirely new cricket stadium. If Korogi survives as a regular cricket venue, the Asian Games will leave behind something more valuable than medals and memories: a permanent piece of cricket infrastructure. That is ultimately what makes Korogi Athletic Park important.