1951 Asian Games
National Stadium | |
→ |
The 1951 Asian Games, officially known as the First Asian Games, was a
The games were managed by a strong Organizing Committee (see Organization below).
Countries invited included almost all the independent Asian countries of the time except Soviet Union and Vietnam, due to the political structure of those nations.
Japanese athletes won the 24 gold, 21 silver, and 15 bronze medals, respectively; while the host nation India had 15 golds and 51 overall medals with most bronzes (20) and finished at second spot in a medal table. The next Asian Games organised by India were the 1982 Asian Games, some 31 years later.[2]
History
The 1951 Asian Games are considered to be a successor of a small-scale multi-sport event known as the
During the starting years of the 1930s, efforts were made to organize a multi-sport event to include the countries of
Host city selection
On 12 and 13 February 1949, a meeting was organized at the
Organization
The responsibility of organizing the First Asian Games was assigned to a special committee that included Anthony de Mello;[10] the Maharaja of Patiala/ president of the Indian Olympic Association Yadavindra Singh; Indian Olympic Association Secretary Guru Dutt Sondhi; and officials playing a key role such as S. Bhoot, Nariman Saugar who did much work with the stadium, and others.
The Organizing Committee was:
President: Yadavindra Singh, Maharaja of Patiala;
Director: Anthony de Mello; Hon. Treasurer: S.P. Chopra;
Members: General K. M. Cariappa, Sir Girja Shankar Bajpai / ICS, Nawab of Pataudi, Maharajakumar of Visianagaram, S. V. Mavlankar, Pt. Hirday Nath Kunzru, K. R. K. Menon / ICS, Shankar Prasad / ICS, P. C. Choudhuri / ICS, Krishna Prasada / ICS, Dr. Tara Chand, Prof A. N. Jha, Sir Usha Nath Sen, Sir Biren Mukerjee, Sir Shankar Lal, Naval H. Tata, Sir Sobha Singh, Maj.Gen. V. R. Khanolkar, G.D.Sondhi, S.M. Moin-ul Haq, Raja Bhalindra Singh, Maharajadhiraj Sir Uday Chand Mahtab, C.C. Abraham, S.H. Bhoot, P. Gupta.
The Executive Committee was:
Chairman: G. D. Sondhi; Members: P. C. Choudhuri, Krishna Prasada, Moin-ul Haq, S.S. Mathur, Rameshwar Dayal.
The Chairmen of Committees were:
Finance: K.R.K. Menon; Technical: G.D. Sondhi; Housing and Transport: Maj. Gen. V.R.Khanolkar; Medical: Maj. M. S. Chadha; Arts: B. Ukil; Reception: Shankar Lal; Publicity: Deva Das Gandhi
The principal Executive members were:
Director of Organisation Anthony de Mello; Secretary to the Director S.S. Dhawan; Public Relations Officer M. L. Kapur; Publicity Officer D. I. Sequeira; Assistant Secretary Nariman S. Saugar.
An athletes' camp was settled in Delhi, modelled after the Richmond Park Camp of London, which accommodated athletes of the 1948 Summer Olympics.[11][12]
Venues
The venue for the 1951 Asian Games was the
The stadium was designed by Anthony S. DeMello and five-hundred thousand (500,000) rupees were required for the full construction, which was completed on 13 February 1933. The stadium was named after the
Events
The Games featured six sports: Athletics, aquatics—broken into Diving, swimming, and water polo disciplines—basketball, cycling—road cycling and track cycling—football, and weightlifting. The sports were broken down into 57 events. Many member countries of Asian Games Federation requested for the inclusion of boxing as a medal sport, but due to various reasons, boxing did not make the final list for the Games. Except athletics, women did not participate in any other event.[14]
In the Games, "Mr. Asia of 1951" was also contested as the non-medal event. The contingents were judged on the basis of their physical development, looks, and personality. Parimal Roy of India won the event ahead of Mahmoud Namjoo of Iran, who won gold medal in the bantamweight category of weightlifting.[15][16]
Aquatics
Diving
In diving, two medal events—3 m springboard and 10 m platform—were included. India and Iran were the only nations that achieved medals. Indian diver, K. P. Thakkar won both the golds and overall India won 4 medals. Iran bagged only one silver and one bronze.[17]
Swimming
In swimming, five nations sent their swimmers to participate in 8 events, 5 of
Water polo
In water polo, only two teams—India and Singapore—participated. The only match of the tournament decided the winner, in which the Indian team defeated Singapore with a goal difference of 6 to 4.[14][20]
Athletics
Athletics was the only sport in which all the eleven participating nations sent their athletes. The Games featured 24 medal events for men and 9 for women. Japanese women won all the 9 golds of their events and just lost four silvers to India and Singapore, two for each. In men's events, again Japan achieved highest number of golds with count of 11, but here Indian athletes finished just one medal behind to Japan with 10 golds. Toyoko Yoshino, a Japanese woman athlete, won all the golds in three throwing sports— shot put, discus throw, and javelin throw. Lavy Pinto of India was the only man who achieved multiple gold medals, he finished at the top podium in men's 100 m and 200 m sprint running events.[14]
Basketball
In basketball, five Asian teams—
Cycling
In cycling, four nations—Burma, India, Iran, and Japan—sent their cyclists. Two disciplines—road race and track race—were contested. Track cycling included—1000 m sprint, 1000 m time trial, and 4000 team-pursuit; for road cycling, 180 km individual road race was contested. The event was widely perceived as being dominated by Japan, who claimed 8 medals in total, including all the four golds out of 11 total overall medals and 4 golds. Indian cyclists won all the rest 3 medals as Burma and Iran failed to achieve a single one.[22]
Football
In football, six Asian teams—
Weightlifting
In weightlifting, seven countries participated in seven events—bantamweight (56 kg), featherweight (60 kg), lightweight (67.5 kg), middleweight (75 kg), light heavyweight (82.5 kg), middle heavyweight (90 kg), and heavyweight (+90 kg). Iranian weightlifters dominated in all events and claimed 10 medals in total including all the golds, Singapore won two silvers, while both India and Philippines won one silver and one bronze.[14][25]
Calendar
In the following calendar for the 1951 Asian Games, each blue box represents an event competition, such as a qualification round, on that day. The yellow boxes represent days during which medal-awarding finals for a sport were held. The numeral indicates the number of event finals for each sport held that day. On the left, the calendar lists each sport with events held during the Games, and at the right, how many gold medals were won in that sport. There is a key at the top of the calendar to aid the reader.
OC | Opening ceremony | ● | Event competitions | 1 | Event finals | CC | Closing ceremony |
March 1951 | 4th Sun |
5th Mon |
6th Tue |
7th Wed |
8th Thu |
9th Fri |
10th Sat |
11th Sun |
Gold medals |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ceremonies | OC | CC | |||||||
Athletics | 4 | 3 | 13 | 13 | 33 | ||||
Basketball | ● | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | ||
Cycling – Road | 1 | 1 | |||||||
Cycling – Track | 1 | ● | 1 | 1 | 3 | ||||
Diving | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||||
Football | ● | ● | ● | ● | 1 | 1 | |||
Swimming | 2 | 3 | 3 | 8 | |||||
Water polo | 1 | 1 | |||||||
Weightlifting | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 7 | ||||
Total gold medals | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 | 4 | 17 | 16 | 57 | |
March 1951 | 4th Sun |
5th Mon |
6th Tue |
7th Wed |
8th Thu |
9th Fri |
10th Sat |
11th Sun |
Gold medals |
Opening ceremony
On 4 March 1951, the First Asian Games were officially opened. The list of the guests included— India's first
The first Asian Games will promote the realisation of understanding and friendship among all nations and will start a process which, as time passes, will go on cementing the friendly ties between the peoples of Asia.
—President Rajendra Prasad[8]
Prime Minister Nehru presented his speech from which organisers of the Games adopted the official motto of the Games— "Play the game, in the spirit of the game". Fifteen of the
Participating nations
The 1951 Asiad featured athletes representing 11
- Afghanistan (222)
- Burma (58)
- Ceylon(3)
- India (151)
- Indonesia (35)
- Iran (49)
- Japan (72)
- Nepal (8)
- Philippines (59)
- Singapore (20)
- Thailand (12)
Medal table
Athletes from eight participating NOCs won at least one medal, five of them winning at least one gold medal. Athletes from Japan earned the highest number of gold medals (24) and the most overall medals (60). Host nation India finished second with 15 golds and 51 overall medals as well as the most bronzes (20). Through 2010, it would be the best rank achieved by India in medal table in all succeeding Asian Games.[30][31] Iran finished third with 8 golds and 16 overall medals. Three NOCs, Afghanistan, Nepal, and Thailand failed to earn any medals.[32] Singaporean swimmer Neo Chwee Kok earned the honour of winning the first gold medal in the history of the Asian Games.[33] He won a total of four golds, all in the free style events (400m, 800m, 1500m, and 4 × 100m relay); becoming the most medalled athlete in this Games.[34]
The ranking in this table is consistent with International Olympic Committee convention in its published medal tables. By default, the table is ordered by the number of gold medals the athletes from a nation have won (in this context, a nation is an entity represented by a National Olympic Committee). The number of silver medals is taken into consideration next, and then the number of bronze medals. If nations are still tied, equal ranking is given; they are listed alphabetically by IOC country code.[35]
A total of 169 medals (57 gold, 57 silver and 55 bronze) were awarded. The total number of bronze medals is less than the total number of gold or silver medals because bronze medals were not awarded in water polo and the team pursuit event of track cycling.[36][37]
* Host nation (
Medal distribution
See also
- 1982 Asian Games, also celebrated in India
- List of IOC country codes
Notes and references
Notes
- a Yadavindra Singh was also the only Rajpramukh (equivalent to Governor) of Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU).[citation needed]
- b The Asian Games Federation was succeeded by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), which was formed in Delhi during the Asian Games Federation Council meeting on 26 November 1981.[38]
References
- ^ "History of Asian Games". www.insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
- ^ "IX Asian Games". sports.gov.pk. Pakistan Sports Board. Archived from the original on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "Games – Far eastern Championship Games". Olympic Council of Asia. Archived from the original on 13 July 2009. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ England, Frederick O. "History of the Far Eastern Athletic Association" (PDF). la84foundation.org. LA84 Foundation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 May 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-313-0041-1.
- ISBN 978-81-317-2790-4.
- ^ "The First Asian Games Championships will be held in March 1951 at New Delhi" (PDF). LA84 Foundation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 December 2010. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- ^ Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports, India. Archived from the original(PDF) on 28 September 2011. Retrieved 13 May 2011.
- Madras. 5 March 1951. p. 5. Archivedfrom the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ISBN 0-86131-212-0.
- ^ Robertson, Louise (6 March 2011). "Golden memories of London's last Olympics". Richmond and Twickenham Times. Archived from the original on 2 March 2012. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
- ^ "Colourful Conclusion of The First Asian Games". The Indian Express. New Delhi. 13 March 1951. p. 6. Archived from the original on 20 February 2019. Retrieved 8 June 2011.
- ISBN 1-897829-75-2.
- ^ a b c d "Report of the First Asian Games held at New Delhi" (PDF). LA84 Foundation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "INDIA: First Asiad". Time. March 1951. Archived from the original on 11 February 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "First Asiad Pictures". The Indian Express. 16 March 1951. p. 6. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "Ist Asian Games—Swimming, Diving & Water Polo". Sports Bharti. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "Swimming—Past Medals". Doha Asian Games' official website. Wayback Machine. 29 November 2006. Archived from the original on 5 January 2007. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "Sachin Nag's victory in swimming". The Times of India. Delhi. 9 March 1951. p. 6. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ "Asian Games Water Polo Results" (PDF). Asia Swimming Federation. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "Ist Asian Games—Basketball—Results in detail". Sports Bharti. Archived from the original on 23 April 2012. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "Ist Asian Games—Cycling". Sports Bharti. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "Iran and Japan in drawn game". The Indian Express. Delhi. 9 March 1951. p. 6. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation (RSSSF). Archivedfrom the original on 29 June 2011. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- ^ "Ist Asian Games—Weightlifting". Sports Bharti. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "President Inaugurates First Asian Games". The India Express. Madras. p. 5. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
- ^ "Mr. De Mello at the Asian Games". The Indian Express. New Dilli. 1 March 1951. p. 6. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "First Asian Games — Over 500 athletes tp participate". The Indian Express. Madras. 21 February 1951. p. 6. Archived from the original on 17 November 2015. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ "Asian Games — New Delhi 1951". Olympic Council of Asia. Archived from the original on 8 December 2011. Retrieved 15 May 2011.
- ^ Kaur Vijay; Sriman R; Rijvi S.T. Husain (1988). "Yojana (Spotlight on youth & sports)". Socio-Economic. 32 (12). Delhi: Publications Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India): 18–36.
- ^ "India record their best-ever performance in Asian Games". The Times of India. Guangzhou. 26 November 2010. Archived from the original on 20 January 2011. Retrieved 3 May 2011.
- ^ "Overall Medal Standings – New Delhi 1951". Olympic Council of Asia. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 29 April 2011.
- ^ "Sports people – Neo Chwee Kok (1931–1986)". Singapore National Olympic Council. Archived from the original on 12 September 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
- ^ "Singapore at the Asian Games – 1st Asian Games" (PDF). Singapore National Olympic Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 May 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
- ^ "Overall medal standings — New Delhi". Olympic Council of Asia. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 16 May 2011.
- Asian Swimming Federation. Archived from the original(PDF) on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ^ "1st Asian Games: 1951 New Delhi – Cycling". Sports Bharti. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 30 April 2011.
- ^ "OCA History". Olympic Council of Asia. Archived from the original on 22 May 2011. Retrieved 14 May 2011.
External links
- 1951 Asian Games at the Olympic Council of Asia website.