Asian Games are one of the most important amateur sporting events in the world. Only the Olympic Games bring together more athletes, spectators, and events. At the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, postponed to 2023 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, about 12,400 athletes competed in 40 sports. The next Asian Games are scheduled to be held in Aichi and Nagoya, Japan, in 2026. At the 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo and Obihiro, Japan, about 1,100 athletes competed in 11 sports. The next Asian Winter Games are scheduled to be held in Harbin, China, in 2025.
The first Asian Games were held in New Delhi, India, in 1951. The idea for the Asian Games originated with athletic competitions held every two years from 1913 to 1934 under a number of names, beginning with the Eastern Olympics. Since 1954, the Asian Games normally have been held every four years. The Asian Winter games were established in 1986. The governing body of both games is the Olympic Council of Asia.
Relationships among participating countries are sometimes difficult. For example, the People’s Republic of China opposed the inclusion of the Nationalist Chinese from Taiwan, which led to Taiwan’s exclusion from the 1962 games. Israel was permanently banned from the games after the 1974 competition as a result of pressure from Arab countries. During the Asian Games of 1990, many Kuwaiti athletes refused to participate with Iraq because of Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait that year.
Many of the competitive events are similar to those held in the Olympic Games. Several sporting events are of particular interest to the people of Asia. These include the ancient Chinese martial art of wushu and the traditional South Asian game of kabaddi, a form of tag.
