Asian Games highlight cooperation among competitors
The recently concluded Asian Games finished with the usual suspects topping the medal table.
China went home with the highest number of overall medals (289, with 132 gold), while Japan and the Republic of Korea rounded out the top three.
The 2018 Asiad, held in Jakarta-Palembang, Indonesia, saw China dominant both on surf and turf. China also ruled the ether, above the rim, as its men’s and women’s hoops teams flew home with the yellow metal round their necks. The men beat Iran 84-72, while the fairer gender outscored a Unified Korean team 71-65 on the hardwood.
Although China is the world’s most populous country, this impressive collection of elemental metals was even more noteworthy given the national strategy of purposely opting to send younger athletic talent to Indonesia. The rationale, though not explicitly stated as such, was to give fresh faces a platform, and more limber limbs on the platform, a chance to hit their stride with pride and make a big splash — though hopefully not during dives, as well as run a dry run (except in the Natatorium of course) for the Tokyo Olympic Games in just over a year’s time.
As the biggest multisport spectacle after the Olympics, the Asian Games represent the most prestigious event organized by the Olympic Council of Asia.
Like the Olympics, the Asian Games are held every four years among athletes from all over the continent. The first games were held in New Delhi, India, in 1950.
Nine nations have hosted the event, and 46 have participated over the years. The next games will held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, in 2022.
As the saying goes, one shouldn’t talk politics or religion in polite or mixed company. But sport is decidedly on the table as far as conversation topics between countries are concerned, regardless of the warmth — or lack thereof — of bilateral ties. So it was refreshing to see the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea and the Republic of Korea passing the ball to each other instead of away from each other. Also, India — the second most populous place on the planet — managed a respectable eighth-place finish in the games, decidedly better than some of their more recent Olympic showings due to the inclusion of sports more popular on the subcontinent.
Like the British comedy show Fawlty Towers, where hotel staff were told not to mention the war when serving Germans, athletes from across Asia had plenty of opportunity to discuss friendly competition of a sporting nature at the Asian Games.
Bilingual: Responding to the US