Nagoya [Japan], October 5: Qatar formally received the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) flag at the closing ceremony of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Sunday, marking the transition from the Japan to Doha, hosts of the 21st Asian Games in 2030.
Alongside the handover, Doha 2030 introduced its new identity and slogan, The Games We Live For.
The flag handover marks the beginning of Qatar's responsibility as the next Asian Games host, 20 years after Doha welcomed the Games for the first time in 2006.
His Excellency Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar, received the OCA Flag on behalf of Qatar during the formal Handover ceremony.
The Prime Minister then handed the Flag to H.E. Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain, OCA Vice President for the 2030 Asian Games and Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee, who entrusted it to Olympic and Asian jigh jump champion Mutaz Essa Barshim for the Doha 2030 presentation that followed.
The ceremony also marked the public introduction of the Doha 2030 identity and The Games We Live For the overarching platform that will guide Qatar's journey towards welcoming Asia back to Doha in 2030.
The slogan is built around the dreams of athletes, people and nations. Every athlete arrives with a dream, every nation brings its own hopes and ambitions, and the fans, families and communities who support them become part of that journey. Doha 2030 brings these individual dreams together and turns them into something shared: the moments athletes spend years working towards, the moments fans and families experience with them, and the moments that inspire another generation.
The new Doha 2030 identity places the OCA sun, the unifying symbol of the Asian Games, within the "O" of DOHA, setting the Asian Games at the heart of the city. The sun represents light and aspiration, and the dreams that athletes and nations bring to the Games. The identity is rooted in Qatar's heritage while looking towards the future and the next generation.
Following the formal protocol, the artistic programme opened with "The Games We Live For", a short film celebrating the human moments that give sport its meaning: the moments athletes work towards, the moments families and fans share, the moments communities experience together and the moments that inspire the next generation.
The film is built on one thought: "Some moments in sport last only seconds. Some stay with us for a lifetime." It closes on the Doha 2030 slogan, The Games We Live For.
The performance then continued with "The Return of an Old Friend", in which the flag is the guiding thread: an old friend returning to a city it already knows, travelling from Nagoya towards Doha.
Mutaz Barshim was joined by Qatari athletes before carrying the flag to the centre of the stadium. With that, the flag passed from formal protocol into the hands of the sporting community, the people who train, compete and give the Games their meaning. The performance then moved through Qatar's sporting memory, reconnecting the present handover with Doha 2006.
The artistic sequence echoed Doha 2006 through the return of the horse and rider, a reference to the horseback torch sequence from the opening ceremony of the 2006 Asian Games, carrying that sporting memory forward into the next chapter.
Qatari equestrian rider Jassim Al Kuwari received the Flag from Barshim in the live stadium before the journey continued westwards through film towards Doha.
The film concluded with the flag being carried through a celebrating crowd into the 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic and Sports Museum, connecting Doha 2006, Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and Doha 2030.
H.E. Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain, OCA Vice President for the 2030 Asian Games and Secretary General of the Qatar Olympic Committee, said: 'Receiving the Asian Games flag in Nagoya is a proud moment for Qatar and an important moment for the wider Asian sporting community. We thank Aichi-Nagoya for its welcome and for the spirit of the successful Games it has shared with athletes and nations across the continent. As the flag is entrusted to Doha, we look forward to working with the Olympic Council of Asia, National Olympic Committees and partners across Asia on the journey to 2030."
Dr Ahmad Abdulla Al Buenain, Chief Executive Officer of the Doha 2030 Asian Games Organizing Committee, said: "The flag Handover marks the start of a new journey. As Qatar assumes responsibility as the next host, we are proud to introduce Doha 2030 and The Games We Live For. Over the next four years, we will work closely with the Olympic Council of Asia, National Olympic Committees, athletes and partners across the continent as we prepare to welcome Asia to Doha."
The Doha 2030 flag handover was developed by the Qatar Olympic Committee, in collaboration with the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 closing ceremony organization. The performance brought together live stadium performance, cinematic storytelling, digital imagery and visual effects to connect Qatar's sporting past with its journey towards 2030.
Source: Qatar Tribune
