Lounes Madene, Chairman of the Technical Committee for the Third Asian Youth Games (AYG), has confirmed the completion of the final sports program for the upcoming event, which will be hosted in the Kingdom of Bahrain from October 22 to 31, 2025.
This edition of the games marks the first time Bahrain will host the event, featuring 24 sports and participation from 45 countries competing in a total of 253 events, including 124 for male athletes and 114 for female athletes.
Madene stated that the games will officially kick off on October 22, but seven events will commence prior to the official opening ceremony. These include men's futsal, handball, and volleyball starting on October 19, followed by women's futsal, kabaddi, teqball, and beach volleyball beginning on October 21. He noted that the final day of the games, October 31, will only feature the men's and women's swimming events and its award presentation, alongside the concluding ceremony for the games.
The games are designed for athletes aged 14 to 18 and will serve as qualifying events for the Youth Olympic Games to be held in Dakar in summer 2026.
The Olympic Council of Asia and the organizing committee have approved 24 sports for the event, which includes swimming, athletics, badminton, 3x3 basketball, boxing, camel racing, cycling, equestrian events, esports, indoor football, golf, handball, jiu-jitsu, judo, kabaddi, mixed martial arts, Muay Thai, table tennis, taekwondo, teqball, triathlon, volleyball, weightlifting, and wrestling.
