Asian Games Postponed and U23 National Team Preparation Adjustments
On May 6, Beijing time, a heavy news came - the Director-General of the Olympic Council of Asia announced that the 19th Asian Games, originally planned to be held in Hangzhou, China, from September 10 to 25, 2022, will have to be postponed on a date to be announced. This sudden turn of events has put the next preparation program for China's men's U23 national team in the spotlight. According to Sohu Sports, the CFA is also making adjustments to the U23 national team's preparation strategy based on the OCA's latest guidelines, but the U23 national team will still participate in this year's East Asian Cup soccer tournament as usual.
The U23 men's soccer team's top priority this year is to prepare for the Asian Games, which is also the core work of the CFA this year. After the postponement of the Asian Games was announced, CFA is actively communicating with relevant departments to confirm the details and adjust the preparation strategy. If the Asian Games are postponed for one year, with reference to the operation mode of the Tokyo Olympics, the age of the participating players in the soccer program may not be adjusted, which means that the U23 national team will have the opportunity to represent our country with a more adequate state of preparation, and the preparation time will be more generous.
With the postponement of the Asian Games, the U23 national team has turned to the East Asian Cup as its main competition this year. The tournament was originally scheduled to be held in Japan from July 19 to 27, and the CFA has confirmed that the U23 national team will participate in it in preparation for the Asian Games. It is worth mentioning that despite the postponement of the Asian Games, the U23 national team's plan to play in the East Asian Cup will remain unchanged.
