Asian Games History
The first Asian Games were held in 1951, though they are considered to have originated from the Far Eastern Championship Games (originally the Oriental Olympics) and the West Asian Games.
Far Eastern Championship Games
The first Far Eastern Championship Games (called the Oriental Olympics at the time) were held in Manila, the Philippines, in 1913, with six participating countries (Philippines, Thailand, China, Japan, Malaysia and Hong Kong).
The second time they were held, the name of the games was changed to the Far Eastern Championship Games. By 1934, ten Games had been held every two years, in Japan, China and the Philippines. For the 11th Games, they were renamed the Oriental Championships and scheduled to be held in Osaka, Japan, but were canceled due to the Second World War.
The West Asian Games
Oriental Games Trials (credit: public domain)The West Asian Games were held in New Delhi, India, in 1934, and included India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Palestine.
The Asian Games
In 1948, at the London Olympic Games, six countries including Korea, the Philippines, Myanmar, India, Taiwan and Sri Lanka got together and decided to host a combined Asian games, leading to the establishment of the Asian Games Federation (AGF) in 1949. The first Asian Games were held in 1951.
Related Pages
- More about the Asian Games
- Change in the number of Sports of the Asian Games
- Multi-Sport Events (Games) Calendar
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