JAKARTA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The 2026 Asian Games, cohosted by Japan's Aichi prefecture and Nagoya city, will be held in the autumn to avoid the summer heat, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) decided on Sunday.

The 2026 Games will be held from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, 2026, an OCA general assembly decided in Jakarta, Indonesia, during the 18th Asian Games.

According to the cohosts, they hope to stage the multi-sport event in the autumn to avoid the scorching summer heat and allow the athletes to give better performances while attracting more spectators.

Aichi and Nagoya were selected to host the 2026 Games at an OCA general assembly in 2016.

It will be the third time for the Asian Games to be held in Japan, following the 1958 Games in Tokyo and the 1994 Games in Hiroshima.

Some 15,000 atheltes and officials from 45 countries and regions are expected to participate in the 2026 Games.