Asian Games: A brief history of the world's second largest multi-sport event - From inception to 2023
Take a quick look back at the Games of the world's largest continent, how it all began leading up to its latest event coming up in Hangzhou, People's Republic of China.
A long, long time ago in the summer of 1948 at the London Olympic Games, a conversation began to restore the Far Eastern Championship Games in Asia, which had been cancelled 10 years earlier as tension mounted in the region with the looming of World War II.
The talks led by the People’s Republic of China, Philippines and India spawned a grander scheme to display the solidarity of Asian sport - a Games encompassing the entire continent including the West Asian Games for all the National Olympic Commmittees in Asia to take part in.
And that's how the Asian Games came to life.
The Asian Games in Hangzhou will be its 19th edition.
From New Delhi 1951 - and beyond
The following year in 1949, the Asian Games Federation was inaugurated in New Delhi where the first Asian Games were held in 1951.
The second rendition was organised three years later in Manila, Philippines, with ensuing Games held once every four years to this date (less Hangzhou, which was postponed by a year due to the global pandemic). Nine countries have hosted the Asian Games, which is recognised as the world's second largest multi-sport competition after the Olympic Games.
In 1981, the Asian Games Federation was renamed as the Olympic Council Of Asia to strengthen its association with the International Olympic Committee, relocating its base from India to Kuwait where it currently resides.
What started out as an effort featuring six sports and 57 events contested by 11 countries in New Delhi more than seven decades ago has grown into a mammoth Games that will be marked by 40 sports, 481 events and 41 countries in Hangzhou opening on 23 September (Saturday) and closing on 8 October.
Only seven conuntries - India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Thailand - have appeared at every edition of the Games.
The next and 20th Games in 2026 will be held in Japan in Aichi-Nagoya (19 September-4 October) followed by a Middle Eastern swing through Doha in 2030 and Riyadh in 2034.