Centennial of Asian Games
The Asian Games trace their roots back to 1913, when Manila hosted what was called the Oriental Olympics, later known as the Far Eastern Games. The Philippines was the prime mover of the event, initially held every two years by turns in Manila, Shanghai, CHN, and Osaka, JPN. There were 11 Games staged until political unrest and wars forced their cancellation in 1934.
After World War II, representatives from the Philippines and China conferred to resurrect the Games in 1948. The next year, the Asian Athletic Federation was established in New Delhi and declared the birth of the Asian Games to be held every four years. In 1951, the first Asian Games were hosted by New Delhi with 489 athletes from 11 participating nations vying for honors in 57 events in six sports, including swimming, athletics, basketball and football. Their latest edition, the 16th, assembled a record 9,704 athletes competing in 476 events in 42 sports in Guangzhou, CHN. DanceSport was included for the first time!
To celebrate the centennial, “special edition” multi-sport games are sanctioned by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to take place in the Philippines in November or December 2013. The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), as the host and organiser, has tentatively earmarked DanceSport and 17 other sports to be included in these games. Once their proposal is firmed up, it will be forwarded to the OCA. If approved, the POC will meet with OCA to discuss the other details in the conduct and supervision of the Games.
The next edition of the “real” Asian Games will take place in Incheon, KOR, in 2014.
Published on
