IOC President Coventry: Asian Games Should Align More Closely With Olympics

Coventry is signalling that continental multi-sport events, including the Asian Games, may be judged increasingly by how well they feed the Olympic pipeline rather than by their own independent identity. That matters for Asian national Olympic committees, sport federations and host cities whose calendars and budgets are built around a distinct regional programme. The tension is explicit in her framing: programmes stay a continental decision, yet alignment is the stated direction. Whether the Asian Games' timing and sports list actually shift toward the Olympic template is the open question.