Dubai: Asian champions China will boast the biggest squad of athletes participating at next month’s 2014 Incheon Asian Games.
The final day for receiving entries was earlier this month and organisers of the Asian Games have released figures to state that China will have 899 athletes. Japan will have the second biggest squad of 716, followed by India with 658.
The local organisers have, for the first time, succeeded in getting all 45 member nations belonging to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to participate in the Games. Brunei Darussalam leads this list with just 11 athletes followed by 16 from Bhutan and 21 representing Cambodia.
After the last date of registration of August 15, a total of 9,803 athletes have been registered, of which 6,003 are male and 3,800 are female.
North Korea was the last country to confirm its participation with 150 athletes in 14 sports disciplines on the list making it to Incheon. Tipped to shine will be gymnast Lee Se-kwang, who will be competing in individual and group competitions. He is expected to renew his fierce rivalry with South Korean gymnast Yang Hak-seon.
North Korea is also expected to contest for gold in the table tennis along with South Korea, China and Singapore, while they are also expected to have a strong showing in the men’s weightlifting competition.
Competition will be held in 36 sports disciplines with 439 gold medals on offer as Incheon becomes the third city in South Korea (after Seoul and Busan) to host the continental championship in the history of the Asian Games.
The Games, showcasing the best athletes on the continent, will be held in Incheon, South Korea from September 19 to October 4.
The opening and closing ceremonies will be held at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium and will embody the overall theme of “Peace and Harmony within Asia - A Dream of All People”.
The main stadium will hold the opening ceremony over a three-hour period from 7pm onwards on September 19. The event features a theme “Meet the bright future of Asia.”
The closing ceremony will be held at the same place on October 4 from 7pm to 9.30pm. The event will feature a theme of “Our Cherished Memories of Incheon.”
Incheon won the right to host the 17th edition of the Games when the vote was held during the OCA general assembly in Kuwait, in April 2007. During the final presentation prior to voting, Incheon made a new offer by raising $20 million (Dh73.4 million) funds to support countries who have not yet won a medal at the Games, along with free flights and accommodation to all participants.
On the other hand, India offered nothing. And after the secret ballot it was revealed that Incheon had won the vote 32-13. It was, however, widely felt that New Delhi lacked enthusiasm in hosting the event after then Sports Minister Mani Shankar Aiyar argued that it was better if the money allocated by the government was spent on the poor of the country.
