NEW DELHI: The question of whether India’s men’s and women’s cricket teams will accept Asian Games medals from Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi has emerged ahead of the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 competition.
Both Indian teams are defending Asian Games champions and are set to compete in Japan. Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the Asian Cricket Council and Pakistan’s Interior Minister, could potentially be involved in the medal ceremony if he is officially assigned the responsibility by the Olympic Council of Asia.
According to reports, Indian teams would be expected to follow the official medal ceremony protocol if Naqvi is formally delegated by the OCA to present the medals. The OCA rules provide for medals to be presented by the organisation’s president, who can delegate the responsibility to another authorised representative.
The issue has gained attention following recent developments at the Asia Cup. India’s women’s team declined to receive the trophy from Naqvi after winning the tournament. The Indian men’s team had similarly not accepted the Asia Cup trophy and medals from him during the previous edition.
The BCCI, however, has not taken a definitive position on what its teams would do at the Asian Games.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the board’s immediate priority was the competition itself and that any decision regarding the medal ceremony would be taken based on the circumstances at the time.
The Asian Games medal ceremony rules also prohibit demonstrations and political, commercial, religious or racial propaganda during the presentation.
With the tournament still ahead, the BCCI has indicated that it will address the issue only if and when it becomes relevant, while the players remain focused on their matches and the competition.
