The calendar has shifted, but the destination has not. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and the Local Organizing Committee of the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games – Riyadh 2026 have confirmed that the Games will now take place from 28 March to 8 April 2027, instead of the previously scheduled 11–21 December 2026. For the karate world, it means thirteen continental titles that were due to be decided before Christmas will now be fought for at the start of spring.

A joint decision, made in coordination

The joint statement is explicit about how the new dates were reached. Both sides say the rescheduling was made in coordination with the relevant authorities, the Asian National Olympic Committees and the respective sports federations. It follows, in the organisers’ words, “a thorough review of organizational and logistical requirements” concerning the participation of delegations from across the continent, with the aim of aligning timelines and operational arrangements, establishing optimal organisational and technical conditions, and enabling broader participation for Asian National Olympic Committees.

The OCA’s own press release, dated 26 October 2026, adds that the new dates are meant to “ensure the broadest possible participation from all qualifying National Olympic Committees”. It also states that preparations are going as planned, with Saudi Arabia getting ready to host more than 4,500 athletes from more than 45 National Olympic Committees. Both organisations reaffirmed Riyadh’s full readiness to host the Games and said they look forward to welcoming the delegations in March 2027.

The name does not change: the event remains the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games – Riyadh 2026, even though its competition days now fall in 2027. It will also be the first multi-sport OCA event ever held in the Kingdom.

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Karate, one of the Games’ heavyweights

Karate sits near the very top of the bill. When the OCA and the organising committee finalised the programme in May 2026, they announced 18 sports, 25 disciplines and 122 events. With 13 events, karate has the third-largest programme of the Games, behind only taekwondo (15) and wrestling (14), and ahead of boxing, ju-jitsu and mixed martial arts (10 each).

Those thirteen medal events are all individual. According to the nomination form published by the Karatedo Federation of Hong Kong, China, men will compete in individual kata and in six kumite weight categories (−55 kg, −60 kg, −67 kg, −75 kg, −84 kg and +84 kg), and women in individual kata and in five kumite weight categories (−50 kg, −55 kg, −61 kg, −68 kg and +68 kg). There are no team events on the karate programme.

Under the original plan, presented to the Chefs de Mission Seminar in July 2026, the Games’ competition venues were grouped at Boulevard Riyadh City, with the Athletes’ Village and its training centre at Princess Nourah Bint Abdulrahman University. The Games’ slogan is “Asia in the Heart of Riyadh”, and their mascot is Khuzama, a flower chosen as a symbol of resilience, strength, growth and endurance. The new dates have not been accompanied, for now, by a new detailed schedule, and the day-by-day karate timetable for 2027 has yet to be published.

What it means for the athletes

For Asian karateka, the move reshapes the end of the season. Riyadh was due to come only a few weeks after the Karate World Cup in Hangzhou (20–22 November 2026), and the Riyadh tatami now move to the spring, which changes the planning of coaches and athletes after the autumn’s major events.

Selection, however, remains a matter for each National Olympic Committee and national federation. The OCA has not published a karate-specific continental qualification system alongside the announcement, and national rules vary. In Hong Kong, for example, the Sports Federation & Olympic Committee set objective criteria based on top-eight placings at senior World Championships, Asian Championships and OCA Games between 2022 and 2026, and the Hong Kong karate federation closed its nomination window on 12 October 2026. Whether such national timelines will be reopened or adjusted after the change of dates has not been announced.

Next steps

The OCA and the organising committee have said that preparations continue according to the approved plans. Updated details, including the competition schedule, are expected to follow. Until then, one date is now circled in every Asian karate calendar: 28 March 2027, Riyadh.

Sources

Image: official statement of the OCA and Riyadh 2026 (Riyadh 2026 / OCA).