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The Asian Games is a multi-sport event that brings athletes from all over Asia together every four years. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) organises the regional games, also known as Asiad and regarded as the second largest after the Olympics.
The symbol of the Asian Games is a bright sun in red with 16 rays and a white circle in the middle of its disc, representing the Asian spirit.
Postponed Edition-2022
The 2022 edition of the Asian Games was scheduled to take place in Hangzhou of China in September. Lingering Covid-19 fears in China have led the OCA to postpone it until 2023. Although the reason for the delay was not stated in clear terms, the host country is racing to control its largest Covid-19 resurgence. The global pandemic had also led to the postponement of the Olympic Games in 2020 for until 2021.
Beginnings
The first unified Asian games were held in New Delhi, India, in 1951. The Asian Games Federation (AGF) governed the competition until its dissolution in 1982, following the 1978 Asiad. The OCA has organised the editions since.
The Asian Games disciplines include Aquatics, Baseball, Basketball, Board games, Canoeing, Cycling, Equestrian, Gymnastics, Martial arts sports, Mechanical sports, Paragliding, Roller sports, Rugby union, Tennis, Volleyball and Wushu.
Nepal’s Preparations
Team Nepal members have shared mixed feelings over the postponement of the Asian Games -they are sad but still motivated and determined to work harder during the period until the 19th Asiad are held.
Nepal is preparing to participate in Archery, Kabaddi, Paragliding, Football, Volleyball, Athletics, Swimming, Judo, Taekwondo, Table Tennis, Golf, Weightlifting, Boxing and Basketball, among others.
"We were really excited but the delay in the Asian games has made us sad," said Mahendra Rai, Director of National Team Preparation of National Sports Council Nepal. “Some players are also impacted because of age, because age decides your participation in the match.”
In preparation for the Asian games, Himal Raj Dahal, Secretary of High Performance Committee, said 600 people are undergoing a special 40-day training that lasts until 24 Asar and added they were receiving a nominal diet and some money.
“We will bring that number to 300 through a selection process, involving scientific training, such as medical screenings and physical fitness tests, to assess player performance, ability, and areas for improvement in the coming days.”
Karate national player Aster Rai said, “Our morning training happens every day. Evening training happens three times a week. We are getting ready for the games, with confidence and optimism, and we are doing our best from our end, although the new dates for the games are not fixed.”
Santoshi Shrestha, National Athletics Player, hinted at a silver lining in the postponement: “If the Asian Games were to happen as scheduled in September, we would not have enough time to prepare. Now, we are working hard, training every day. As players, we are eager to demonstrate our talent and assess our abilities to grow.”
Nayana Shakya, Assistant Coach of Swimming, said: "We hope for better results than the last time, when everything happened in a rush, with Covid and improper swimming pool management. Now it is different, we are all doing well and really hoping for a better outcome in swimming."
Nepal’s Achievements
Since participating in the first Asian Games in New Delhi, Nepal have appeared in all but two editions, missing Manila 1954 and Jakarta 1962.
However Nepal have never won a gold medal. Men's cross-country paragliding team won a silver for Nepal at Jakarta-Palembang 2018, coming close to breaking the gold drought. That was Nepal's second silver medal at the Asian Games.
Sabita Rajbhandari had brought the first silver from 1998 Asiad in Bangkok. That year, Nepal also had its best Asian Games results, adding three bronzes to secure the 27th place in the medal table.
Nepal's Asian Games medal tally so far includes 0 Gold, 2 Silvers and 22 Bronzes, that is, a total of 24.
