Top Performing Countries At The Asian Games

The Asian Games is a sporting event held after every four years that features professional athletes drawn from all over Asia. A total of 51 sports are featured during each edition of the games, and these are made up of 39 disciplines. China and Japan are the two best-performing countries in the event, with the two countries amassing a combined 6,030 medals, equivalent to about 44% of the total medals ever awarded in the games. Three of the participating countries in the Asian Games are yet to garner a single medal; East Timor, Bhutan, and the Maldives. Bhutan and Maldives have featured in eight and nine editions of the Asian Games respectively.

Top Performing Countries At The Asian Games

China

The People’s Republic of China has the highest number of medals of any participating country in the Asian Games. The country has accumulated a total of 3,179 medals in the 11 editions of the Asian Games that it has participated. China also has garnered the most gold medals of any country during the games, with a total of 1,436 gold medals. Two editions of the Asian Games have been held in China; the 1990 Games in Beijing and the 2010 Games in Guangzhou. It was during the two editions that China amassed the highest tally of gold medals. The 2022 edition of the Asian Games is scheduled to be held in the Chinese city of Hangzhou. Athletics is the sport in which China has its highest number of medals, with a total of 606 medals. Wang Yifu, a professional pistol shooter holds the record of the most decorated Chinese at the Asian Games, as he has accumulated 25 medals in the shooting event.

Japan

Japan is among the few countries that have participated in all editions of the Asian Games since the inception in 1951. The country’s participation in the games is made possible by the Japan Olympic Committee, which was established in 1911 making it the oldest in the continent. Japan won its highest number of gold medals during the 1966 Games in Bangkok where it received 78 gold medals. However, it was during the 1994 edition that the country garnered its highest tally of medals, with a total of 218 medals. Japan ironically hosted the 1994 edition; one of two editions that the country has hosted, the other being the 1958 Asian Games. In total, Japan has received 2,850 medals in all the editions of the Asian Games, the second most of any country. However, Japan holds the record of having the highest number of silver and bronze medals of any country, with the country having 982 silver and 912 bronze medals in total.

The Inaugural Games

The first edition of the Asian Games was held in 1951 and hosted by India. A total of six sports were featured during the inaugural of 1951 Asian Games; athletics, cycling, weightlifting, football and aquatics, which were further subdivided to make a total of 57 events. 11 countries participated in the First Asian Games. There were male contestants in all disciplines during the games, while women participated only in athletics. Japan would collect the highest number of medals during the 1951 edition, after garnering a total of 60 medals, 24 of which were gold medals.