THE GAMES

What are the Asian Games?

The Asian Games are the biggest sports competition in Asia, held once every four years. They are organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), and have 45 participating countries or regions.

History of the Asian Games

The Asian Games were first held in 1951, very soon after the end of World War II. They was advocated by Neru, the first Prime Minister of India, who wished to reestablish the bonds between Asian countries that had been broken in the war through sports, and contribute to everlasting peace in Asia. The 1st Games were held in New Delhi, with 11 participating countries, including Japan.

Since then, the Games have become a big event that fosters friendship through sports and contributes to world peace by recognizing diversity.

Hosting of the Asian Games

Since the 1951 New Delhi Games in India to the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games in Indonesia, the Asian Games have been hosted a total of 18 times.

Japan has hosted the 3rd Games in Tokyo in 1958 and the 12th Games in Hiroshima in 1994. The 20th Games scheduled for Aichi-Nagoya in 2026 will be the third time the country is hosting this event.

The records of past Games and future Games from the 1st Games to the 20th Games are as in the attachment.

• Record of Past and Future Asian Games (PDF File: 140KB)

Characteristics of the Asian Games

The characteristics of the Asian Games are seen in the events held. The events held at the Asian Games are specified in the OCA Constitution as follows:

"The Official Programme of the Asian Games (AG) may include all the Olympic Sports and events, as approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) including the mandatory sports of Athletics and Swimming, which shall form the AG Programme. In addition the AG Programme shall include 5 (five) regional sports and two (2) sports proposed by Asian Games Organizing Committee (AGOC) and approved by the OCA Executive Board (EB)."

Following these provisions, unique Asian sports such as kabaddi and sepak takraw have been held in past Asian Games, alongside Olympic sports like athletics and aquatics.

<Examples of Unique Asian Sports Events that were Included in Past Asian Games>

- Kabaddi, sepak takraw, cricket, squash, bowling, etc.