Pandit
Jawaharlal Nehru proposed an Asian sports meeting in 1947
at a conference on relations between Asian countries.
This concept was further worked upon in August 1948, during
the 14th Olympic Games held in London. In February 1949,
the Asian Amateur Athletic Federation was formally formed,
and its name was changed to Asian Athletic Federation.
It
was decided to hold the first Asian Games in 1951 in New
Delhi, the capital of India. Held from March 4 - March
12, 1951, Asia had 489 athletes from 11 National Olympic
Committees participating. Thirty
seven years later, the XIII Asian Games at Bangkok has
the following impressive numbers: 36
Sports
43 National Olympic Committees
56 Venues
7,000 Media Personnel
10,000 Athletes and OfficialsAsian
Games Hockey
Pakistan
is the king of the Asian hockey scene. Of the 10 Asian
Games hockey competitions, Pakistan has won 7 gold medals.
In contrast, Olympic giants India has only2 gold medal
in 10 attempts. Even South Korea has won more Asian Games
gold medals (1986, 1994) than India. The gold medallist
of the Asian Games gets a direct entry into the Olympic
Games and possibly a place in the next World Cup too,
if the new format comes into operation. Therein lies the
importance of this competition.
