Hangzhou, China, September 22, 2023: The Olympic Council of Asia’s Honorary Life Vice President, Wei Jizhong, outlined the magic of the Asian Games during a media briefing at the Main Press Centre on Friday.
Mr Wei said there were three main features behind the success of the Asian Games, which was first held in 1951 and will celebrate the 19th edition in Hangzhou from September 23 to October 8.
The Chinese sports administrator said the Asian Games was for all the Asian people, not just elite athletes, and was open to all countries and regions under the OCA. As a consequence of this policy, the Asian Games features more athletes than the Olympic Games, he said.
The second feature was the sports programme, which includes mainstream Olympic sports but also regional favourites such as sepak takraw, kabaddi and wushu.
He said that, during the Beijing Asian Games in 1990, he was criticized by the IOC President at the time, Juan Antonio Samaranch, for having such a big sports programme.
“I replied, 'It's because we want that all the Asian athletes have a chance to get together, but not only to compete in competition. The results are important, but the results are not all’.”
He added that more diverse sports enabled more NOCs to win medals, and that at the 18th Asian Games in Indonesia in 2018, more than 80 per cent of Asian NOCs won medals.
“When developing countries' athletes get medals their people are happy, their government is happy, and they support sport. Sport has a high social position. So, I think this policy of OCA is successful."
The third feature is harmony. The number of participants at the 19th Asian Games exceeded expectations, yet HAGOC has been able to welcome all participants. “We are one family. It is a family gathering,” said Mr. Wei.
“We work together to make the Hangzhou Asian Games – and let the world know better Asia!”
