Asian Games

⇒ The first Asian Games began on March 4, 1951 in New Delhi.

⇒ The Asian Games Association has chosen shining sun as its symbol.

⇒ The AGF (Asian Games Federation) adopted ‘Ever Onward’, given by Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru, as the motto of the Asian Games.

⇒ The emblem of Asian Games is a ‘bright full rising sun’ with interlocking rings.

⇒ The Maharaja of Patiala presented the Torch and the Flag for the first Asian Games and since then they have been carried from country to country.

⇒ The 2018 Asian Games officially known as the 18th Asian Games and also known as Jakarta-Palembang 2018, was a pan-Asian multi-sport event held from 18th August to 2nd September 2018 in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang.

⇒ The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) originally awarded the games to Hanoi, Vietnam in November 2012, but the hosting rights were given up seventeen months later. Indonesia, which originally finished second in the bid, was considered as the strongest replacement candidate and eventually awarded the rights amid the 2014 games. Surabaya, the city put forward during the bid, was replaced by Jakarta and Palembang, having hosted the 2011 Southeast Asian Games together.

⇒ For the first time, the Summer Asian Games were cohosted by two cities; the Indonesian capital of Jakarta (which was hosting the Games for the first time since 1962), and Palembang, the capital of the South Sumatra province. Events were held in and around the two cities, including venues in Bandung and the provinces of West Java and Banten.

⇒ The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games were held at Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.

⇒ Several non-Olympic events were trimmed from the event programme, but several new disciplines being introduced at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (including 3-on-3 basketball) were added. eSports and canoe polo were also contested as demonstration sports.

⇒ China led the medal tally for the tenth consecutive time.

⇒ North and South Korea fielded a unified team during the opening ceremony and selected events, and also won their first-ever gold medal as a unified team at a multi-sport event.

⇒ 6 world, 18 Asian and 86 Asian Games records were broken during the Games.

⇒ Japanese swimmer Rikako Ikee was announced as the most valuable player.

⇒ Indonesian badminton legend Susi Susanti carried a torch fire during the Asian Games Torch Relay Concert in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

⇒ The initial emblem for the 2018 Asian Games was first unveiled on 9th September 2015, in celebration of the country’s National Sports Day. On 27th December 2015, the Games’ mascot ‘Drawa’ was unveiled by vice president Jusuf Kalla. Both the emblem and mascot were a stylized rendition of the cenderawasih, a rare species of bird in Indonesia. But the designs were widely criticised for their outdated appearance, and Drawa was also criticised for having little connection to Indonesian culture and history.

⇒ Organisers ultimately withdrew the original emblem and mascot, and announced an open call for a new design.

⇒ Out of 60 submissions, the new emblem entitled – was “Energy of Asia”unveiled on 28 July 2016. The new emblem was modelled upon the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium, and was intended to symbolise unity among Asian countries.

⇒ Three new mascots were also Bhin Bhin-a unveiled greater bird-of-paradise; Atung-a Bawean deer; and Kaka a Javan rhinoceros. They represent the Eastern, Central and Western regions of Indonesia, as well as strategy, speed and strength.

⇒ The mascots’ outfits reflect traditional textiles; Bhin Bhin wears a vest with Asmat pattern details, Atung wears a Sarong with Batik tumpal patterns, and Kaka wears a Palembang Songket with flower patterns. Their names were derived from the national motto of Indonesia, “Bhinneka Tunggal Ika”.

⇒ The medal designs were unveiled in July 2018, featuring batik designs reflecting the unity and diversity of Indonesian and Asian culture.

⇒ The official theme song of the Games, “Meraih Bintang” (“Reach for the Stars”), was performed by Via Vallen. The song was included in a larger official album for the Games released on 13th July 2018, featuring various Indonesian musicians.

⇒ The opening ceremony started at on 18th August 2018. Wishnutama, then-CEO of Indonesian TV network The NET was the creative director for the ceremony. ceremony stage showcased a towering 26 meterhigh mountain with a waterfall as its background, accompanied by Indonesian plants and flowers.

⇒ North and South Korea delegates marched together under one unified flag of Korea, which marked the first time both countries did so in the Asian Games after 12 years.

⇒ The games was officially opened by the President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo.

⇒ In March 2017, the Olympic Council of Asia initially announced that the Games would feature 484 events in 42 sports, including the 28 permanent Olympic sports contested at the 2016 Summer Olympics, the five additional sports that will be contested at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, as well as events in other non-Olympic sports.

⇒ In April 2017, the OCA approved reductions in the programme in response to cost concerns; belt wrestling, cricket, kurash, skateboarding, sambo and surfing were dropped from the programme, and there was to be a reduced number of competitions in bridge, jet ski, jujitsu, paragliding, sport climbing, taekwondo (in particular, all non-Olympic weight classes), and wushu. These changes reduced the total number of events to 431.

⇒ The final programme was unveiled in September 2017, increasing it to 465 events in 40 disciplines as the secondlargest programme in Asian Games history. Additional disciplines being introduced at the 2020 Summer Olympics were also added, including 3×3 Basketball and BMX freestyle.

⇒ For the first time in Asian Games history, eSports and canoe polo were contested as demonstration sports in the Games. Six video game titles, most notably Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, were featured in the Sports events.

Demonstration sports Esports, Canoe polo :

⇒ The closing ceremony was held on 2nd September 2018. In addition to local artists and a Chinese segment, the South Korean boybands Super Junior and iKon, and Indian singer Sidharth Slathia performed in the ceremony.

⇒ Mayor of Hangzhou Xu Liyi received the Games flag for the 2022 Games from Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan and South Sumatra Governor Alex Noerdin.

⇒ China led the medal table for the tenth consecutive time.

⇒ Korea claimed their first gold medal at the Games in the canoeing women’s traditional boat race 500 m event.

⇒ A total of 37 NOCs won at least one medal, 29 NOCs won at least one gold medal and 9 NOCs failed to win any medal at the Games.

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