Asian Games

The Asian Games, formally known as Asiad, is a multisport event arranged every fourth year in Asia. The Asian Games are recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and is the second largest multisport event in the world, only the Olympic Games are bigger.

All 45 member countries of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) are eligible to send athletes to the games. There used to be 46 members, but Israel has been excluded from the games since 1976. Israel is now a member of the European Olympic Committees (EOC) instead. Taiwan has participated under the flag of Chinese Taipei since 1990, and Macau is allowed to send athletes despite not being recognized by the IOC for participation in the Olympic Games. In 2007, a proposal to welcome Australia to the Asian Games was declined since it would have been unfair to allow only one Oceanic country.

Seven countries have participated in all editions of the Asian Games:

• India

• Indonesia

• Japan

• The Philippines

• Sri Lanka

• Singapore

• Thailand

History of the Asian Games

The predecessor of the Asian Games is arguably the Far Eastern Games, arranged by Japan, China and the Philippines and first held in 1913 in Manila. The Far Eastern Games were held ten times until 1934 when the second Sino-Japanese War and Japan's insistence on including the Manchu Empire in the games prompted China to announce its withdrawal.

In the aftermath of World War II, several former colonies in Asia became independent countries and the idea of restoring the Far Easter Games took root. Eventually, this lead to the establishment of a whole new thing – the Asian Games governed by the Asian Athletic Federation (AAF). AAF was inaugurated in 1949 and and the first Asian Games was scheduled to be held in New Delhi in 1950.

The first time the Asian Games had a television broadcasting through the world was in 1970, and this naturally sparked the interest for betting on the Asian Games even outside Asia. Today, there are several bookmakers – locals as well as major international companies – that accepts wagers on the Asian Games.

Recently, the Olympic Council of Asia decided to move the Asian Games to one year ahead of the Olympic Games to avoid crowding. The Asian Games of 2014 will be the last to take place on an even-numbered year, as the next Asian Games are scheduled to take place in 2019.

Sports represented

In the history of the Asian Games, competitions have been held for 44 different sports: