At least 11000 athletes including 540 Indians to participate in Asian Games

Chandigarh, August 18: The 18th edition of Asian Games is scheduled to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia from today onwards and will conclude on September 2.

 

The mega event will see the participation of around 11000 athletes from 45 countries including 540 Indians in 40 sports and 67 disciplines consisting of 28 Olympic sports, 4 new Olympic sports and 8 non-Olympic sports. Some of the events, including Handball and Football, began last week.

The opening ceremony will begin at 5:30 pm according to the Indian time, with most of the events scheduled to commence from August 19. Renowned Indonesian singers like Anggun, Raisa and Tulus and a total of 4,000 dancers are expected to perform at the ceremony. The games will take place simultaneously in Jakarta and Palembang.

The Indian contingent at the games will be led by Javelin Thrower Neeraj Chopra with the national flag at the glittering opening ceremony. At least 20 officers/jawans of Punjab Police would represent India and showcase their skill in various sports.

BACKGROUND:

The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years between athletes from all over Asia. Since 1982, the Games have been organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). Prior to that, the Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF).

The AGF regulated the very first Asian Games, which were held in New Delhi, India in 1951 until the 1978 Games, till the federation’s breakup. The Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games.

Overall, nine nations have hosted the Asian Games and forty-six nations have participated in it, including Israel, which was excluded from the Games after their last participation in 1974. The last edition of the Games was hosted by Incheon, South Korea from 19 September to 4 October 2014. The current edition was originally scheduled to be hosted by Vietnam in Hanoi, however, the country withdrew its bid, based on economic considerations.

Following Vietnam’s withdrawal, Indonesia offered to hold the 18th Asian Games. This will be the second time that Indonesia hosts the Asian Games. The first one was held in Jakarta in 1962. However, this will be the first time that the Asian Games will be held in two cities - Jakarta and Palembang.