Asian Games 2026: Why Didn't Jay Shah Give Medals To Pakistan & Sri Lanka? What Do The Rules Say?

India won yet another Asian Games gold medal in cricket after beating Pakistan in the men’s T20 final, but the medal ceremony that followed also attracted attention. ICC chairman Jay Shah was present at the ceremony, yet he did not personally hand medals to every member of the Pakistan and Sri Lanka teams.

Shah was among the dignitaries involved in the medal presentation at the Asian Games, alongside Nisshin Mayor Hiroki Kondo and Olympic Council of Asia Executive Board member Nilo Jayatolake.

Why Didn't Jay Shah Give All The Medals?

Shah's role was as ICC chairman, rather than as a representative of the Indian team. Since multiple dignitaries were involved in the ceremony, the medals were distributed among them instead of being handed out by Shah alone.

In theory, Jay Shah did not choose to not give medals. The ceremony was pre-determined as per OCA protocol. This also explains why Shah's presence should not be viewed as determining which teams received medals or who was eligible to present them.

What Do The Asian Games Rules Say?

The Asian Games are governed by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), rather than the ICC or individual cricket boards. Under the OCA rules, the OCA President is responsible for medal presentations but can delegate the honour to other authorised OCA officials and representatives.

The rules also establish the order of the medal ceremony, with bronze presented first, followed by silver and gold. The presentation is therefore an official Games protocol, with organisers determining which authorised dignitaries participate in each part of the ceremony.

Naqvi, the president of the Asian Cricket Council and chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board, is missing the final because of prior commitments. His absence comes after recent trophy-presentation episodes involving Indian teams at Asia Cup events.

The Indian men's team had refused to take the Asia Cup trophy from his last year. A similar incident unfolded with the women's team last month. This time, there was no Naqvi on the podium when the India-Pakistan final ends.