A look at interesting facts about Asian Games
The second-largest multi-sporting event in the world, the Asian Games has kicked off in Hangzhou, China. An event that is only behind the Olympics in terms of grandeur will host 45 nations over the course of two weeks across various sports and disciplines. A total of 40 sports will see more than 10,000 athletes feature at the mega event.
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Over the years, the Games have seen several athletes create or break records. It all started in 1951 in New Delhi with only six sports spread across 57 events among 11 participating countries. Many decades later, the event has great popularity and has seen over 10,000 athletes participate in the current edition. Only seven countries have appeared at every edition of the Asian Games.
The seven ever-present nations
As mentioned, seven nations have featured in all 19 editions of the Asian Games. Only the likes of India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore, and Thailand have appeared at every edition of the Games.
Thailand has hosted most Asian Games
China is hosting its third Asian Games event. It has previously hosted the event in 1990 (Beijing) and 2010 (Guangzhou). But Bangkok holds the record for most Games staged by one nation/city. Bangkok has hosted four Asian Games events - 1966, 1970, 1978, and 1998. Bangkok replaced Seoul as host in 1970 and stepped in for Singapore in 1978 due to financial reasons.
Esports makes debut; cricket returns
Esports will make its full Asian Games debut at Hangzhou after it was a demonstration event at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta. Unique sports like Dragon Boat and Roller sports will make their third appearances this year. Cricket returns to the Games after nine years. It was last played at the 2014 Asian Games, and before that, in 2010.
The advent of the MVP award in Asian Games
While medals are the reward that athletes generally look for, in Asian Games, outstanding performers are recognized by the MVP award. The award started in 1998, and since then, the ritual has continued. In six editions, four Japanese athletes have bagged the MVP award. Japanese swimmer Ikee Rikako won the award in 2018 as she clinched six gold and two silver medals.
China leads the all-time Asian Games medal tally
China leads the all-time Asian Games medal tally with a total of 3,187 medals. It also owns the most number of gold medals (1,473). The only other country with 3,000-plus Asian Games medals is Japan, in second place (3,054). It has bagged 1,032 gold medals. India is in fifth position, with 672 medals, out of which 155 are gold medals.
