Game on Field

Asian Games 2026 History

Ongoing

Nagoya, Japan • 19 Sept 2026 — 4 Oct 2026

Overview

The Asian Games trace back to two earlier regional competitions: the Far Eastern Championship Games (1913-1934), organised by the Philippines, China and Japan, which ran ten times before collapsing amid the Second Sino-Japanese War; and the 1934 Western Asiatic Games in New Delhi, a single edition organised by Indian IOC member Guru Dutt Sondhi and involving India, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Mandatory Palestine. At the 1948 London Olympics, Sondhi proposed a unified continental games to help build unity across a newly post-colonial Asia. Talks continued into early 1949, and by that February seven Asian nations - India, the Philippines, Nepal, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Burma and Ceylon - had agreed on New Delhi as host and set up a governing charter under the newly created Asian Games Federation.

The first Asian Games followed in March 1951, with 489 athletes from 11 nations competing in six sports; Japan topped the medal table. The Federation governed the first eight editions through 1978. Following governance disputes and political conflicts over regional invitations, it was dissolved and replaced in November 1981 by the Olympic Council of Asia, which has run the Games ever since from its Kuwait City headquarters.

At the OCA's first Games in New Delhi in 1982, China topped the medal table for the first time, ending Japan's three-decade run at the top, and has finished first at every edition since. The 1994 Hiroshima Games marked the debut of five newly independent Central Asian nations following the collapse of the Soviet Union, and was the first edition held outside a host country's capital. From the 1990s onward, the OCA added sports rooted in Asian sporting culture alongside Olympic disciplines, including kabaddi, sepak takraw, wushu, squash and dragon boat racing.

More recently, esports and breaking appeared as demonstration or medal events, becoming official medal sports at Hangzhou 2022 (postponed to 2023 due to COVID-19), reflecting the Games' continued evolution toward modern youth-oriented disciplines.

Facts

First edition: New Delhi 1951 - 489 athletes, 11 nations, 6 sports
Governing body changed in 1982: Asian Games Federation replaced by the Olympic Council of Asia, headquartered in Kuwait City
China has topped the overall medal table at every edition since 1982, ending Japan's earlier dominance
Kabaddi, Sepak Takraw and Wushu were added as medal sports in 1990 to reflect Asian sporting traditions
Esports and Breaking became official medal events at Hangzhou 2022 (held in 2023)
Hangzhou 2022 was the largest edition yet: 45 NOCs, 11,909 athletes, 481 events
Japan led the medal table at every edition from 1951 through 1978
India, the inaugural host, remains a consistent top-3 South Asian nation in athletics, wrestling, shooting and kabaddi
Only 7 nations have competed at every single edition: India, Indonesia, Japan, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Singapore and Thailand
Israel competed from 1954 to 1974 before being excluded from the Games for political reasons

Milestones

  1. 1951

    Inaugural Asian Games

    Held March 4-11, 1951 at the National Stadium, New Delhi. 489 athletes from 11 National Olympic Committees competed in 6 sports (Athletics, Aquatics, Basketball, Cycling, Football and Weightlifting). Japan topped the medal tally.

  2. 1958

    First Torch Relay

    The Tokyo Games introduced the first official Asian Games torch relay, formalising a tradition carried forward at every subsequent edition.

  3. 1954-1978

    Formalization and Growth

    Participation grew steadily through the Asian Games Federation era: Manila 1954 hosted 18 nations, and by 1978 the Games had grown to 3,842 athletes from 25 NOCs.

  4. 1981-1982

    Formation of the Olympic Council of Asia

    Governance disputes and political conflicts over regional invitations led to the dissolution of the Asian Games Federation. The Olympic Council of Asia was formed in November 1981, headquartered in Kuwait City, and formally began supervising the Games from the 1986 Seoul edition onward.

  5. 1982-Present

    China's Medal-Table Dominance Begins

    At New Delhi 1982, the first Games organised under the OCA, China topped the overall medal table for the first time, ending Japan's 30-year dominance. China has remained the top-performing nation at every edition since.

  6. 1994

    Central Asian Nations Join

    Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, five newly independent Central Asian nations - Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan - made their Asian Games debut, vastly expanding the event's footprint. It was also the first edition held outside a host country's capital city.

  7. 1990s-1998

    Indigenous and Non-Olympic Sports Added

    The OCA introduced sports rooted in Asian sporting culture alongside Olympic disciplines, including Kabaddi (1990), Sepak Takraw (1990), Wushu (1990) and Squash (1998).

  8. 2018-2022

    Modern Era: Esports and Breaking

    Esports appeared as a demonstration event at Jakarta-Palembang 2018 and, together with Breaking, became an official medal sport at Hangzhou 2022 (postponed and held in 2023), reflecting modern youth sporting trends.

Editions

ED.Host
YearAthletes

All-Time Medal Leaders

CHNChinaAll-time leader with over 1,600 golds and 3,500+ total medals; has topped the table at every edition since 1982.
JPNJapanTopped every medal table from 1951 through 1978; holds over 1,000 all-time golds and remains the second-most successful nation overall.
KORSouth KoreaConsistently ranks third overall since the mid-1970s, with close to 800 all-time golds.
INDIndiaThe inaugural host in 1951; became only the fourth nation in Games history to cross 100 medals in a single edition, at Hangzhou 2022.