October 5: The 20th Asian Games closed in Nagoya, Japan, on Sunday night with China far ahead on the medal table, a group of teenagers among the biggest winners, and the hosts apologising for a fortnight of organisational trouble. China finished with 169 gold medals and 341 in all. Japan won 83 golds and 269 medals, its best total at any Asian Games. The president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, declared the Games closed at Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium, and the torch was handed to the organisers of the next Games in Doha.
Key highlights
- Medal table: China 169 gold, 89 silver, 83 bronze (341). Japan 83, 95, 91 (269). South Korea 39, 43, 68 (150), according to Xinhua.
- MVPs: Chinese swimmer Yu Zidi, 13, and Thai sprinter Puripol Boonson, 20.
- Records: China’s Zhang Zhanshuo, 19, became the first swimmer to win seven golds at one Asian Games. Japan’s Shin Ohashi, 17, set a world record in the 200m breaststroke.
- Problems: No athletes’ village, registration delays of up to 12 hours, buses that failed to arrive and the wrong anthem played for South Korea.
- India: 21 golds and 85 medals, its second-best Asian Games.
The medal table
China’s 341 medals are its best haul at an Asian Games held outside China, Al Jazeera reported. Japan’s 269 beat its previous record, set at home in Hiroshima in 1994. South Korea was third with 39 golds and 150 medals, according to Xinhua.
India ended its campaign on Saturday with 21 golds, 27 silvers and 37 bronzes. It won the men’s cricket and men’s hockey finals on its last day. Full report in Hindi: India’s 85 medals, with golds in cricket and hockey.
Xinhua reported that more than 17,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries and regions took part over 16 days. The programme had a record 43 sports, more than the Paris Olympics, with padel, mixed martial arts, teqball and surfing making their debuts, Reuters reported.
The teenagers who took over
The women’s most valuable player award went to Yu Zidi, a 13-year-old Chinese swimmer who won three individual golds, including the 200m individual medley. She posted the second-fastest time in that event, according to Reuters.
Her teammate Zhang Zhanshuo, 19, became the first swimmer to win seven gold medals at a single Asian Games. Japan’s Shin Ohashi, 17, broke the world record in the 200m breaststroke. China’s Yan Ziyi, 18, won the women’s javelin.
The men’s MVP was Thailand’s Puripol Boonson. The 20-year-old won both the 100m and the 200m and set two Asian Games records, Al Jazeera reported.
What went wrong
The Games were spread across Aichi prefecture and had no dedicated athletes’ village. Competitors were housed in hotels, wooden container units and a cruise ship, Al Jazeera reported. Reuters and Al Jazeera listed the main complaints:
- Arrivals: Registration delays of up to 12 hours, double-booked rooms and wrong room-mates.
- Transport: Buses that did not turn up or took athletes to the wrong venue, which delayed several competitions.
- Protocol: North Korea’s anthem was played for South Korea’s hockey team, and the South Korean flag could not be raised at a football medal ceremony.
- Crowds: Fewer than 1,000 people watched a women’s football semi-final in a 50,000-seat stadium.
South Korea’s delegation gave the organisation an “F” grade, according to both reports. The cricket final between India and Pakistan also ended with a delayed medal ceremony and no handshakes.
What the organisers said
Hideaki Omura, the governor of Aichi and president of the Games, apologised for what he called “unforeseen challenges” that had to be handled day by day, Xinhua reported.
The OCA defended the hosts. “There is no Games without challenges,” said Mohammad Tayyab Ikram, a senior Asian sports official quoted by Xinhua, adding that what mattered was how the problems were dealt with. Sheikh Joaan told the closing ceremony: “Tonight, we close the Games that will shape the next generation of Asian Sport.”
What comes next
Doha in Qatar will host the 21st Asian Games. The dates have not been fixed. Reuters reported that the Games could be moved from 2030 to 2031 so that they can serve as qualifiers for the Brisbane Olympics in 2032.
Japan’s athletes delivered a record haul. The complaints about beds, buses and empty stands were the other story of these Games.
More from the Games: India’s women’s hockey gold after 44 years (in Hindi) and squash silvers for Anahat Singh and Abhay Singh.
Sources
- Al Jazeera: Amid teen triumph and organisational chaos, Asian Games close in Japan
- Reuters via The Korea Herald: Asian Games close after fortnight of turmoil and teenage triumph
- Xinhua: Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games close amid logistical snags, organizational criticism
The Sports Desk covers cricket, the Asian Games and Indian and international sport. Stories are checked against at least two credible sources before publication.
