Midway through the Asian Games, China’s sports minister felt the need to issue a rallying cry despite the country again overwhelmingly dominating proceedings.
A week into competition, the delegation had already racked up 125 gold medals, won more swimming titles than ever before and were so far clear of the rest that one American press outlet half-jokingly suggested changing the name to the China Games.
In the final reckoning on Sunday, China’s tally was as follows: 169 gold, 89 silver and 83...
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said that a near 20 per cent jump in revenue, strong viewership figures and a slew of world records proved the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games were a success, despite logistical problems plaguing the multi-sport showpiece.
The Games saw a catalogue of mishaps, from athletes bused to the wrong venues to the North Korean national anthem being played for the South Korean hockey team.
There were not enough beds for the more than 17,000 athletes and officials, a larger...
The Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya close on Sunday, bringing the curtain down on a fortnight of competition featuring some record-breaking performances.
Among the best performers were the two athletes named Asian Games MVPs: 13-year-old Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi and Thai track and field sprinter Boonson Puripol.
Yu, who won all three of her individual events with ease, said “I’m no prodigy” after being named the women’s MVP on Sunday.
The schoolgirl, who looks poised to take the Los Angeles 2028...
What was meant to be a few glorious moments could spark policy reform in South Korea after post-match comments from a couple of gold-medal-winning footballers triggered heated debate.
South Korea beat hosts Japan 1-0 at the Toyota Stadium to win their fourth straight – and seventh overall – men’s football title at the Asian Games, leading to 20 of the 23-strong squad earning exemptions from military service.
While the exemption was not an exclusive perk for the country’s footballers but for all...
When Cado Lee Ka-to carries Hong Kong’s flag into the Paloma Mizuho Stadium on Sunday, he will do so at the head of what remains of the most successful Asian Games delegation in the city’s history.
While only a handful of the 580 athletes who made up the team will attend the closing ceremony, their impact will be felt far beyond the past fortnight, although it may be in what wasn’t achieved that a lasting legacy is created.
At first glance, an overall medal count of 54, only one more than the...
There has been a common theme running through Hong Kong’s Asian Games gold medallists when it comes to talking about the pressure of being on top: Siobhan Haughey and James Christie both referred to it as a privilege, and it would not be a surprise to discover it is an entirely alien concept to Coleman Wong Chak-lam.
Before Saturday, Hong Kong had never won a medal in men’s tennis at the Games, let alone gold. Faced with making history, adding another title to the city’s growing collection and...
