Hangzhou, China, July 27, 2023: The draw for four team sports at the 19th Asian Games was conducted at the Grand Parkray Hotel in Hangzhou, China on Thursday, July 27.
The women’s and men’s competitions in handball, sepak takraw, volleyball and football were all drawn in a slick ceremony laid on by the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee ahead of the September 23-October 8 Asiad.
In handball and sepak takraw, host nation China was asked in which group it would like to compete, after the other teams had been drawn, while volleyball and football used final placings from the previous Asian Games but with China as host placed at A1 in the preliminary round groups.
Afghanistan has entered both the women’s and men’s volleyball, while the growth in popularity in women’s football was in evidence with the entry of 17 teams – a 50 per cent increase from the 11 teams that entered the 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia.
Other team sports such as basketball, cricket and rugby sevens will conduct their own draws nearer the time based on rankings.
The delegates were welcomed by the Olympic Council of Asia’s Director of the Asian Games, Haider Farman, who described the draw as a “critical moment” in the staging of a major international sports event and said the outcome would play a part in ticketing and broadcasting.
HANDBALL
Women
Group A: Korea, Kazakhstan, Thailand, Uzbekistan
Group B: China, Japan, India, Hong Kong China, Nepal
Note: China chose Group B
Men
Group A: China, Kuwait, Thailand
Group B: Qatar, Korea, Hong Kong China
Group C: Bahrain, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan
Group D: Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mongolia, Japan
Note: China chose Group A
SEPAK TAKRAW
Women Team Regu
Group A: Thailand, Indonesia, Japan
Group B: Korea, Laos, China
Note: China chose Group B
Men Team Regu
Group A: Thailand (seed), Japan, Laos
Group B: Malaysia (seed), Indonesia, Korea.
Women Quadrant
Group A: Vietnam (seed), Indonesia, Japan, Myanmar.
Group B: Philippines, Laos, India, China
Note: China chose Group B
Men Quadrant
Group A: Indonesia (seed), Vietnam, Myanmar, Laos
Group B: Japan (seed), Korea, Singapore, India, Philippines
Women Regu
Group A: India, Vietnam, China
Group B: Korea, Thailand, Myanmar
Note: China chose Group A
Men Regu
Group A: Malaysia (seed), Singapore, Vietnam.
Group B: Thailand, Philippines, India, Myanmar
VOLLEYBALL
Women
Group A: China, India, DPR Korea
Group B: Thailand, Chinese Taipei, Mongolia
Group C: Korea, Vietnam, Nepal
Group D: Japan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan, Hong Kong China
Men
Group A: China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan
Group B: Iran, Nepal, Bahrain
Group C: Korea, India, Cambodia
Group D: Chinese Taipei, Pakistan, Mongolia
Group E: Qatar, Thailand, Hong Kong China
Group F: Japan, Indonesia, Philippines, Afghanistan
FOOTBALL
Women
Group A: China, Uzbekistan, Mongolia
Group B: Chinese Taipei, Thailand, India
Group C: DPR Korea, Singapore, Cambodia
Group D: Japan, Vietnam, Nepal, Bangladesh
Group E: Korea, Hong Kong China, Philippines, Myanmar
Men
Group A: China, Bangladesh, Myanmar, India
Group B: Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Mongolia
Group C: Uzbekistan, Syria, Hong Kong China, Afghanistan
Group D: Japan, Palestine, Qatar
Group E: Korea, Bahrain, Thailand, Kuwait
Group F: DPR Korea, Indonesia, Kyrgyzstan, Chinese Taipei
