Biggest ever Asian Games: 12,500 athletes, 40 sports

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: This is the 19th edition of the event which began in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou with a two-hour opening ceremony.

It is delayed by a year because of corona-led lockdown. This time the Asian Games is the biggest ever in the history. It will have nearly 12,500 athletes from 45 countries and territories who will compete in 40 sports.

They will compete for 481 gold medals across 15 days. The Games will be held in 56 venues, 12 of which have been newly constructed. The programme includes traditional events such as athletics and swimming, apart from those which will signify divers sporting culture in Asia, for isntance, such as sepak takraw, or kick volleyball, kabaddi, wrestling and wushu which is a martial art.

Interestingly, the concept of e-sports athletes is an achievement that this Asian Games is boasting. And for the first time, a potential clash between great cricket rivals India and Pakistan would be seen in the last days of the event. India has fielded 665 athletes across 39 sports.

It is banking on Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra as its star performer. He won India’s first track-and-field Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics and became the world champion in August, while China is looking up to its star swimmer of 2018, Riako Ikee to win gold.

The Highlight The biggest highlight of the opening of Asian Games this time was the use of artificial intelligence at the venue to highlight Hangzhou, and China’s diverse heritage, nature, culture and love for sports.

For instance, in its mammoth Lotus Stadium, it, instead of real fireworks, used digital fireworks creating a snowball impact. This was done keeping in mind the concept of ‘Green Asian Games’ or carbon-neutral ceremony.

History Asian Games began in 1951. The first Asian Games were held in New Delhi, India. From 1954, it is held every four years. Interestingly, the first Asian Games were regional games sponsored by Olympic Council of Asia for men and women athletes from Asian countries affiliated with the International Olympic Committee.

Notably, China has topped every Asian Games medal table since 1982. This time it has sent 886- team, in which the youngest player is 13-year-old skateboarder Cui Chenxi, and the oldest, a 60-year-old bridge player Dai Jianming.

The closing ceremony will take place on October 8. It will include the handover of the torch to Japan before the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Games. Qatar will host the Asian Games in 2030.

The event will boast a number of performances highlighting China's rich cultural heritage as well as its modern vitality. India has sent a total of 655 athletes to compete across 39 different sports at the 2023 Asian Games. The athletics contingent is the largest of all, comprising 68 names.