The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games, they have been organized by the Olympic Council of Asia, after the breakup of the Asian Games Federation. The Games are recognized by the International Olympic Committee and are the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games.
Nine nations have hosted the Asian Games. Forty-six nations have participated in the Games, including Israel, which was excluded from the Games after its last participation in 1974. The twentieth edition is being held in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, Japan, from 19 September to 4 October 2026.
Since 2010, it has been common for the host of the Asian Games to host the Asian Para Games held shortly after the end of the Games. This event is exclusive to athletes with disabilities, just like Paralympic Games. But unlike the Paralympics where the host city's contract mentions the holding of both events, the case of Asia does not mention the mandatory holding of both. Instead, the exclusion of the Asian Paralympic Games from the Asian Games host city's contract means that both events run independently from one other, and may lead to occasions in the future when the two events are held in different cities and countries.
History Origins The Far Eastern Championship Games existed previous to the Asian Games, the former mooted in 1912 for a location set between Japan, the Philippines, and China. The inaugural Far Eastern Games were held in Manila in 1913 with 6 participating nations. There were ten Far Eastern Games held by 1934. The second Sino-Japanese War in 1934, and Japan's insistence on including the Manchu Empire as a competitor nation in the Games, caused China to announce its withdrawal from participation. The Far Eastern Games scheduled for 1938 were cancelled. The organization was eventually discontinued.
Formation After World War II, several areas in Asia became sovereign states. Many of these countries sought to exhibit Asian prowess without violence. During the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, a conversation started between China and the Philippines to restore the idea of the Far Eastern Games, following the decolonisation of Asia after World War II. Guru Dutt Sondhi, the Indian International Olympic Committee representative, believed that the restoration of the Far Eastern Games would sufficiently display the spirit of unity and level of achievement taking place in Asian sports. He proposed the idea of a new competition – which came to be the Asian Games. The Asian Athletic Federation would eventually be formed. A preparatory committee was set up to draft the charter for this new body. On 13 February 1949, the Asian Athletic Federation was formally inaugurated in New Delhi, announced as the inaugural host city to be held in 1950.
Years of crises
In 1962, the Games were hit by several crises. The host country, Indonesia refused to permit Israel and Taiwan to participate due to political recognition issues. The IOC terminated its sponsorship of the Games and terminated Indonesia's membership in the IOC. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF), and the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) also removed their recognition of the Games.
Seoul renounced its plan to host the 1970 Asian Games on the grounds of a national security crisis; the main reason was due to a financial crisis. The previous host, Thailand, would host the Games in Bangkok using funds transferred from South Korea. Japan was asked to host but declined the opportunity as they were already committed to Expo '70 in Osaka. This edition marked the Games' inaugural television broadcasting, worldwide. In Tehran, in 1974, the Games formally recognized the participation of China, North Korea, and Mongolia. Israel was allowed to participate despite the opposition from the Arab world, while Taiwan was permitted to continue taking part (as "Chinese Taipei") although its status was abolished in a general meeting on 16 November 1973 by the Games Federation.
Before the 1978 Games, Pakistan retracted its plan to host the 1978 Games due to a financial crisis and political issues. Thailand offered to host and the Games were held in Bangkok. As in 1962, Taiwan and Israel refused participation by the Games Federation, amid political issues and security fears. Several governing bodies protested the ban. The International Olympic Committee threatened to bar the participating athletes from the 1980 Summer Olympics. Several nations withdrew before the Games opening.
Reorganization and expansion These events led the National Olympic Committees in Asia to revise the constitution of the Asian Games Federation. The Olympic Council of Asia was created in November 1981, excluding Israel and Taiwan. India was scheduled to host in 1982 and the OCA decided to maintain the old AGF timetable. The OCA formally started to supervise the Games starting with the 1986 Asian Games scheduled for Seoul, South Korea. In the 1990 Asian Games held in Beijing, Taiwan (Republic of China) was re-admitted, under pressure by the People's Republic of China to compete as Chinese Taipei.
The 1994 Games held in Hiroshima included the inaugural participation of the former 5 republics of the Soviet Union who were part of Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. It was also the first edition of the Games held in a host country outside its capital city. However, Iraq was suspended from the Games due to the 1990 Persian Gulf War. North Korea boycotted the Games due to political issues with the host country. The Games were hampered during the opening ceremony due to a heart attack that killed Nareshkumar Adhikari, the chief of the Nepalese delegation.
The 1998 Games marked the fourth time the Games were held in Bangkok, Thailand. This time the city participated in a bidding process. The opening ceremony was on 6 December; the previous three were on 9 December. King Bhumibol Adulyadej opened the Games; the closing ceremony was on 20 December (the same date as all the previous games hosted by Thailand).
Background Symbols The Asian Games Movement uses symbols to represent the ideals embodied in the Asian Games charter. The Asian Games motto is "Ever Onward" which was designed and proposed by Guru Dutt Sondhi upon the creation of the Asian Games Federation in 1949. The Asian Games symbol is a bright sun in red with 16 rays and a white circle in the middle of its disc which represents the ever glimmering and warm spirit of the Asian people.
Mascots
Since the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, India, the Asian Games have had a mascot, usually an animal native to the area or occasionally human figures representing the cultural heritage.
Participation
All 45 members affiliated with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) are eligible to participate in the Games.
According to membership in the OCA, transcontinental Kazakhstan is an Asian country and could participate in the Asian Games, but this right could not apply to Egypt as the country had 6% of the territory on Sinai, participating in the African Games instead. Turkey and Russia/Soviet Union — whose major geographical parts are located in the Asian continent — participate in the European Games rather than the Asian Games. Similarly, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Cyprus, and Armenia are mostly located in Asia but participate in the European Games instead of the Asian Games.
In history, 46 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) have sent competitors to the Games. Israel has been excluded from the Games since 1976, the reason cited as being due to security reasons. Israel requested to participate in the 1982 Games, but the request was rejected by the organizers due to the Munich massacre. Israel is now a member of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) since 1994 and competes at the European Games.
Taiwan, Palestine, Hong Kong, and Macau participate in the Asian Games according to membership in OCA. Due to its continuing ambiguous political status, Taiwan has participated in the Games under the flag of Chinese Taipei since 1990. Macau since 1990 has been allowed to compete as one of the NOCs in the Asian Games, despite not being recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for participation in the Olympic Games.
In 2007, the President of OCA, Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, rejected the proposal to allow Australia to participate in the Games. He stated that while Australia would add good value to the Asian Games, it would be unfair to the Oceania National Olympic Committees (ONOC). Being members of ONOC, Australia and New Zealand have participated in the Pacific Games since 2015. This motion was mooted again in 2017 after Australia participated in the 2017 Asian Winter Games as they are in discussions to become a full Asian Games member shortly. However, the Australian Olympic Committee announced that Australia would be allowed a small contingent of athletes for the 2022 Games, as long as the qualification for Summer Olympics events such as basketball and volleyball are through the Asia-Pacific region. In November 2021, it was announced that athletes from Oceania would be invited to compete in athletics, triathlon, roller skating, weightlifting, and wushu. Athletes were to receive "honorary medals" which would not be counted on the official medal tally. The plan was shelved due to a lack of interest from the relevant federations in Australia and New Zealand.
There are only seven countries, namely India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Thailand, that have competed in all editions of the games.
Editions
EditionYearHostGames dates /Opened byCountriesCompetitorsSportsEventsTop-ranked team11951 New Delhi4–11 March 1951President Rajendra Prasad1148965721954 Manila1–9 May 1954President Ramon Magsaysay1897087631958 Tokyo24 May – 1 June 1958Emperor Hirohito161,820139741962 Jakarta24 August – 4 September 1962President Soekarno121,460138851966 Bangkok9–20 December 1966King Bhumibol Adulyadej161,9451414361970 Bangkok9–20 December 1970King Bhumibol Adulyadej182,4001313571974 Tehran1–16 September 1974Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi193,0101620281978 Bangkok9–20 December 1978King Bhumibol Adulyadej3,8421920191982 New Delhi19 November – 4 December 1982President Zail Singh233,41121147101986 Seoul20 September – 2 October 1986President Chun Doo-hwan224,83925270111990 Beijing22 September – 7 October 1990President Yang Shangkun316,12227310121994 Hiroshima2–16 October 1994Emperor Akihito426,82834338131998 Bangkok6–20 December 1998King Bhumibol Adulyadej416,55436377142002 Busan29 September – 14 October 2002President Kim Dae-jung447,71138419152006 Doha1–15 December 2006Emir 459,52039424162010 Guangzhou12–27 November 2010Premier Wen Jiabao9,70442476172014 Incheon19 September – 4 October 2014President Park Geun-hye9,50137439182018 18 August – 2 September 2018President Joko Widodo11,30046465192023 Hangzhou23 September – 8 October 2023President Xi Jinping11,93540481202026 Emperor Naruhito4610,78743469212030 Dohacolspan="5" style="text-align:center" 222034 Riyadhcolspan="5" style="text-align:center" 1970 : Seoul, South Korea, had been selected to host the 6th Games but it declined due to both financial reasons and security threats from neighboring North Korea. 1978 : Originally, the host city was Singapore but Singapore dropped its plan to host the Games due to financial problems. Then Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, was decided to host the 8th Games. But Islamabad also dropped its plan to host the Asian Games due to conflicts with Bangladesh and India. 2018 : The Games were originally awarded to Hanoi, Vietnam, but withdrew in 2014 due to budgetary concerns and other factors.
Participating nations