Nagoya, Japan, October 04 (QNA) - Under the slogan "The Games We Live For," the new identity of the Doha 2030 Asian Games was unveiled on Sunday, coinciding with the handover ceremony of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Flag at the closing ceremony of the 20th Asian Games Aichi–Nagoya 2026.

The flag handover ceremony also witnessed the introduction of Doha 2030 new identity and slogan, 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.

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.

Earlier, HE Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani received the OCA Flag on behalf of Qatar from HE President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC) Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani during the formal handover ceremony.

HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs then handed the flag to HE OCA Vice President for the 2030 Asian Games and Secretary General of the QOC Jassim bin Rashid Al Buenain, who entrusted it to Olympic and Asian champion Mutaz Essa Barshim for the Doha 2030 presentation that followed.

Following the formal protocol, the artistic program 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. The Flag has arrived. The journey to Doha 2030 begins.

During the ceremony, which it prepared in cooperation with the organizers of the closing ceremony of the Asian Games Aichi–Nagoya 2026, the QOC was keen to combine live stadium performance with cinematic storytelling, digital imagery and visual effects to connect Qatar’s sporting past with its journey towards hosting the Asian Games in 2030.

Qatar captured the spotlight during the Closing Ceremony of the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Japan, where it received the flag as host of the 21st Asian Games in 2030.

The artistic performance, which drew an enthusiastic response from the crowd at Paloma Mizuho Stadium, featured The Games We Live For film and the Return of an Old Friend segment, creating a link between Doha 2006, Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and the journey towards Doha 2030.

The Games We Live For, the slogan of Doha 2030, reflects the ambitions of athletes, people and nations, and the shared sporting experiences that bring Asia together.

Qatar made a striking impression through a showcase of its identity and culture. Dana Al Meer performed the Qatari national anthem live to an enthusiastic reception from the audience, while Olympic champion Mutaz Barshim received the Asian Games flag wearing traditional Qatari attire. Qatari rider Jassim Al Kuwari then entered the stadium on horseback carrying the flag, evoking memories of the iconic scene from the Opening Ceremony of the Doha 2006 Asian Games. Together, these elements reflected Qatar’s identity and culture and underlined its readiness to host an exceptional edition of the Asian Games.

In turn, HE Director of the Sports Sector at the Qatar Olympic Committee Sheikh Khalifa bin Khalid Al-Thani said Team Qatar's achievements at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games represented a significant and proud accomplishment, noting that the Qatari delegation won 18 medals, the country’s highest Asian Games tally since Guangzhou 2010.

He said: "We achieved an outstanding result at Aichi-Nagoya by winning 18 medals. The diversity of these medals reflects the progress of Qatari sport. We won medals across 10 different sports, while three sports — padel, wrestling and karate — were added to Qatar's Asian Games medal record for the first time. This diversity confirms that our work is moving in the right direction and that there is clear progress in the level of our athletes across different sports.

"We have a clear strategy focused on preparing for the 2030 Asian Games. From now, we will continue working to develop our sports and athletes and build on the gains achieved at Aichi-Nagoya, as we look ahead to Doha hosting the next edition and aim to deliver a performance worthy of Qatar." (QNA)