A number of Asian countries became independent after the Second World War. Many of the countries wanted to use a new type of competition where Asian dominance could be shown through sports and be strengthened by universal understanding. In August 1948, during the 14th Olympic Games in London, Indian IOC representative Guru Dutt Sondhi proposed to sports leaders of the Asian teams the idea of having discussions about holding the Asian Games.
They agreed to form the Asian Athletic Federation. A preparatory committee was set up to draft the charter for the Asian amateur athletic federation. In February, 1949, the Asian athletic federation was formally formed and used the name Asian Games Federation. It was decided to hold the first Asian Games in 1951 in New Delhi, the capital of India.
They added that the Asian Games would be regularly held once every four years. The games are regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) under the supervision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Medals are awarded in each event, with gold for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition which started in 1951.
Competitors are entered by a National Olympic Committee (NOC) to represent their country of citizenship. National anthems and flags accompany the medal ceremonies, and tables showing the number of medals won by each country are widely used
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Sports like archery, running, weightlifting, karate, athletics and many more invites a large number of participants from all over Asia. Competitions are held holding sportsmanship in the highest glory and respecting sports as a way of strengthening the bond between nations.
For the participants it is a matter of National glory and pride that brings about the fiercest competition between them. The representatives of each nation give their best in order to accumulate the most number of medals and bring their respective countries to the top of the tables. But off late attempts are being made by the governing body to scrutinize the performances of everyone, as the use of banned drugs is on the rise. This not only brings shame to the nations but also is an insult to the value of sportsmanship.
The Asian games can be viewed as the Olympics of the Asian nations, and only promises to further bring these Nations together with sports slowly becoming a nonviolent war of the titans. We can only hope that such a spectacular event only continue for years and make man realize the importance of respect, dedication, sportsmanship ,and above all National pride and glory.