2018 Asian Games

The 2018 Asian Games will be the 18th edition of a regional multi-sport event in Asia which is planned to be hosted by Indonesia from August 18 – September 2, 2018. 38 sports and disciplines will be featured in the Games, For the first time, two cities will host the Games, in Jakarta, the national capital city, and Palembang, the capital city of South Sumatra province. Two provinces that surround Jakarta, Banten and West Java also plan to support the Games with their existing sporting venues. Indonesia was approved as the host of the Games by Olympic Council of Asia executive board on September 19, 2014. They will host the Games in 2018 rather than the originally planned 2019 to avoid the presidential election.

Originally Hanoi, Vietnam was chosen as the host. However, they withdrew due to the financial constraints.

Bidding and development

Hanoi as the former host

Hanoi was the original host for the 2018 Asian Games after they won the bid against other host candidates, Surabaya and Dubai. In November 8, 2012, Hanoi awarded with the right to host the games after won the bid with 29 votes against Surabaya with 14 votes, meanwhile Dubai pulled out at the last minute, instead announcing their intention to focus on future bids while committee's first vice-president denied any pullout and claimed the UAE's National Olympic Committee "did not apply for hosting 2019 Asian Games" and "only considered" doing so. Indonesian delegation claimed that Hanoi's victory was influenced by China's huge interest in the country.

Asian Games

The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a Pancontinental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until the 1978 Games. Since the 1982 Games they have been organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), after the breakup of the Asian Games Federation. The Games are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and are described as the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games.

In its history, nine nations have hosted the Asian Games. Forty-six nations have participated in the Games, including Israel, which was excluded from the Games after their last participation in 1974.

The last Games was held in Incheon, South Korea from 19 September to 4 October 2014.

History

Prior formation

Before the Asian Games were held, a gathering known as the Far Eastern Championship Games existed which was first mooted in 1912 at a location set between the Empire of Japan, the Philippine Islands, and China. The Far Eastern Games were first held in Manila in 1913 with 6 participating nations. Ten more Far Eastern Games were held until 1934. Against the backdrop of the second Sino-Japanese War in 1934, in the face of Japan's insistence on including Manchu Empire as a competitor nation in the Games, China announced its withdrawal from participation. Consequently, the Far Eastern Games scheduled for 1938 were cancelled. The organization was ultimately discontinued

1974 Asian Games

The 7th Asian Games were held from September 1, 1974 to September 16, 1974 in Tehran, Iran. The Aryamehr sports complex was built for the Games. The Asian Games were hosted in the Middle East for the first time. Tehran, the capital of Iran, played host to 3,010 athletes coming from 25 countries/NOCs, the highest number of participants since the inception of the Games.

Fencing, gymnastics and women's basketball were added to the existing disciplines. The games were known for the use of state-of-the-art technology, from synthetic track to photo-finish cameras.

History

Starting in 1962, the Games were hit by several crises. First, the host country Indonesia, refused to permit the participation of Israel and the Republic of China due to political and religious issues. As a result, the IOC removed its sponsorship of the Games and terminated Indonesia as one of the IOC members. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC),International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) and International Weightlifting Federation (IWF), also removed their recognition of the Games.

1994 Asian Games

The 1994 Asian Games also known as XII Asiad were held from October 2 to October 16, 1994 in Hiroshima, Japan. The main theme of this edition was to promote peace and harmony among Asian nations. It was emphasized by the host because the venue was the site of the first atomic bomb attack 49 years earlier. Due to the First Gulf War, Iraq was suspended from the games.

There were a total number of 6,828 athletes and officials involved, from 42 countries, with a total number of 34 events. Debut sports at this edition of the Asiad were baseball, karate and modern pentathlon.

Mascot

The official mascot of the XII Asiad is a pair of white doves. Poppo and Cuccu, male and female respectively, represent peace and harmony - the main theme of this edition of the Asian Games.

Participating nations

National Olympic Committees (NOCs) are named according to their official IOC designations and arranged according to their official IOC country codes in 1994.

Sports

Calendar

Medal table

The top ten ranked NOCs at these Games are listed below. The host nation, Japan, is highlighted.