Both the Indian men's and women's cricket teams are likely to accept their medals from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi at the 2026 Asian Games, if he is officially assigned the responsibility by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), according to a report in The Times of India (TOI).
Both Indian teams are defending champions and will look to retain their gold medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. The development comes as the ongoing controversy around the Asia Cup trophy presentation continues.
India's women's cricket team reportedly declined to accept the trophy from Naqvi, who is also the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chairman and Pakistan's Interior Minister, after winning the tournament on Sunday.
The Indian men's team had declined to accept the trophy and medals from Naqvi the previous year.
OCA delegation could determine medal presentation protocol, What's Mohsin Naqvi's role?
According to TOI, Indian teams will be expected to accept their medals from Naqvi if the OCA officially delegates him to conduct the medal ceremony.
The report, quoting OCA regulations and senior Indian Olympic Association (IOA) officials, added that a refusal to accept the medals on such terms “would be considered a slap on the Games, the OCA and its delegates and could result in disciplinary action.”
The report's interpretation applies to the formal medal ceremony and does not confirm that Naqvi has been designated to present medals at the 2026 Asian Games.
Reacting to the report, board secretary Devajit Saikia said the BCCI would focus on the game and take a call based on the situation.
“We are focusing only on the matches. The teams will have to first reach the podium. Then we will take a call keeping in mind all the prevailing factors. We will cross that bridge when we come to it,” Saikia added.
He said the board and players were concentrating on winning the matches and did not want to comment on a situation that had not happened yet.
What does the OCA Constitution say about medal ceremonies?
Article 66 of the OCA Constitution and Rules, titled 'Victory and Medals Ceremony', states that medals are presented to the winners by the OCA president. The president, however, can delegate the task to other OCA members.
The regulations also state:n”No kind of demonstration or commercial, political, religious or racial propaganda is permitted during the victory ceremony of the Games.”
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The regulation lays down the parameters for the Asian Games medal ceremony. The decision on whether Naqvi will be entrusted with the responsibility of presenting medals to the Indian cricket teams will be taken by the OCA.
The Indian men's and women's teams will have to first reach the podium before any discussion of the issue arises. Their potential encounters with Naqvi at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games could attract greater attention as a result of the Asia Cup trophy presentation row.