The first edition of the Asian Games was held in New Delhi on 8 to 11 March 1951. From 1954 they were held every four years. Athletes from 11 nations participated in the inaugural games, which featured six sports (association football, athletics, basketball, cycling, swimming, and weight lifting).
In 1934, the event was canceled on the basis of academic, athletic, and then political tensions between Japan and its China, then once again based on the backdrop realities of World War II. However, in the margins of the London Olympics 1948, a small group led by China and The Philippines sought to explore placing the event into action again.
By good fortune, Indian IOC member Guru Dutt Sondhi, in London, suggested making the competition available to more than just Far East countries and plan for a broader ‘Asian’ event.
India was a major patron of the initiative, so it hosted the first Asian Games. The event was originally scheduled for 1950, but was delayed to the following year due to not satisfactory preparation.
Also worth noting, the Asian Games 2022 event in Hangzhou China, is now postponed to 2023, because of COVID-19, delaying the event only for the second time historically, since the very first Asian Games were postponed in 1950 as well.
First Asian Games sports and participation
The First Asian Games had 489 athletes from 11 countries (Afghanistan, Burma (now Myanmar), Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and India) participating in 57 championship medal events within six sporting categories (athletics, aquatics (which incorporated three disciplines (diving, swimming, water polo), basketball, cycling, football and weightlifting).
There was also a large amount of interest with the sport of Boxing, but was officially withdrawn from first Asian Games programs.
Neo Chwee Kok of Singapore was the first gold medallist in Asian Games history and also the most successful individual athlete at New Delhi 1951 with 4 podium finishes.
Sachin Nag won the 100m freestyle swimming event which provided India’s first gold medal at the Asian Games.
Also as a non-medal event at the First Asian Games was the 1951 Mr Asia, a men’s physique event.
Parimal Roy of India beat Mahmoud Namdjou of Iran, who was then the gold medal winner in weightlifting banatamweight, to win the title of bodybuilding (Mr Asia).
The Mr Asia competition had a little bit of controversy. Namdjou, a finalist in his height class in the Mr Universe contest at the 1948 London Olympics, was upset after losing to Roy.
