T

he upcoming inaugural Asian Martial Arts Games will also be the last one following a decision by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to merge the event with the Asian Indoor Games.

The council's general assembly concluded at their meeting in Singapore on Friday with a decision to reshuffle the dates of various multi-event games.

The decisions were agreed by around 45 national Olympic committees across the region to help cut costs.

Sport committees around the world have been cutting down expenses due to the current global economic crisis.

The inaugural Asian Martial Arts Games is scheduled from Aug. 1-9 in Thailand.

It will now be included in the Asian Indoor Games, now in their third year, to be held this year in Vietnam from Nov. 2-12.

The General Assembly chaired by OCA president Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah said the Asian Beach Games and the Asian Indoor Games - both held biennially - would now be held every four years like the Asian Games.

"This ruling helps ease the overlapping sports in various events in the region. It was difficult to optimally prepare our resources, especially financing, energy, and time, if there are too many events taking place.

"Thus, we are fully supporting the decision," said Indonesian Sports Council (KONI) secretary-general Rosihan Arsyad.

Rosihan said the merger of the Asian Martial Arts Games with the Asian Indoor Games would significantly ease the council's financial obligations.

"We have not calculated the exact cost reduction, but surely a couple of billion Rupiah can be saved," he said.

Sports councils in the region are currently preparing for the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou, China, in November next year and the second Asian Beach Games in Muscat, Oman, this December.

Meanwhile, the number of sports competed in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, have also been reduced to 35, in contrast to next year's Asian Games, which will feature 43 events.