Asian Games 2014
The Asian Games 2014 were the 17th in the series and got flagged off in September in Incheon, South Korea.
Post World War H, as a number of Asian countries gained independence from the long-serving foreign rule, there was a desire to organise a new type of competition that would strengthen mutual understanding among the Asian nations. Guru Dutt Sondhi, the Indian International Olympic Committee representative, proposed to sports leaders, the idea of having a competition that would sufficiently display and foster the spirit of unity and level of achievement taking place in Asian sports. This led to the formation of the Asian Athletic Federation. On 13 February 1949, the Federation was formally inaugurated in New Delhi and New Delhi was announced as the first host city of the Asian Games which were scheduled to be held in 1950.
For the 2014 series, the competition for the host city was primarily between Delhi and Incheon. The two cities had officially submitted their bid in 2006 in Doha. Incheon emerged the winner in the referendum held in zoo7 and was declared the host city for the 17th multi-sport event.
The official slogan of the games ‘Diversity Shines Here’ was very carefully picked to highlight the significance of Asia’s wonderful diversity in history, cultures and religions. Three spotted seal siblings were unveiled on 4 November, zoio as the official mascot of the Games in Songdo Island, Incheon.
The opening ceremony was a spectacular and extravagant event with a myriad performance like piano playing, traditional Korean dance and songs.
All the 45 members of the Olympic Council of Asia participated including North Korea that had initially refused to be a part of the event following disputes with South Korea over administrative issues.
China led the medal table for the ninth consecutive time with 151 gold medals. The host nation followed second with 79 gold medals. India ranked 8th with 11 gold medals in its kitty. Some star performers in the Games from the Indian side were Abhinav Bindra, Yogeshwar Dutt besides others. MC Mary Kom became the first Indian woman boxer to clinch a gold medal at the Games.
The Games were well-conducted despite the initial controversies regarding finances, lack of public interest etc. Undoubtedly, the organisers executed their duties with diligence and sincerity.
However, there were a few distasteful developments during the series like the poor judging allegation made by the Indian lightweight boxer, Sarita Devi and her refusal to accept the Bronze medal, the ban on ‘hijab’ and the subsequent withdrawal of the Qatari women’s basketball team, etc., that did initially dim the spirit of the event, however, the event resumed its momentum soon after and concluded peacefully on 4th October. The theme of the closing ceremony was ‘Our Cherished Memories of Incheon’. The sequence of events featured the performances of National Dance Company of Korea, Gugak Centre Dance Troupe and Kukkiwon.
The next event is scheduled to happen in zo18 in Jakarta, Indonesia. Thus, the 17th event in the series ended amicably. The ceremony also included a segment from the zo18 Asian Games host city, Jakarta (Indonesia)
