Athletics at the Far Eastern Championship Games
At the start of the 20th century, the Philippines was initially the most developed nation in
Correspondingly, in the first half of the competition's history, the Philippines was the most dominant nation in the athletics programme, going unbeaten in the first five editions.
Editions
Games | Year | Host city | Host country | Events | Championship winner |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1913 ( | )Manila | Philippines | 17 | Philippines |
2 | 1915 ( | )Shanghai | China | 17 | Philippines |
3 | 1917 ( | )Tokyo | Japan | 18 | Philippines |
4 | 1919 ( | )Manila | Philippines | 18 | Philippines |
5 | 1921 ( | )Shanghai | China | 18 | Philippines |
6 | 1923 ( | )Osaka | Japan | 19 | Japan |
7 | 1925 ( | )Manila | Philippines | 19 | Philippines |
8 | 1927 ( | )Shanghai | China | 19 | Japan |
9 | 1930 ( | )Tokyo | Japan | 19 | Japan |
10 | 1934 ( | )Manila | Philippines | 19 | Japan |
Events
Over the 21-year history of the competition, only men's athletics events were included. For the first six editions of the competition (1913 to 1923), athletics track events were contested over imperial distances. These were changed to metric distances from 1925 onwards, in line with international and Olympic standards. The number of events contested stayed relatively stable and (excluding distance variations in running events) the only additions were the
Event | 1913 | 1915 | 1917 | 1919 | 1921 | 1923 | 1925 | 1927 | 1930 | 1934 | Games |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
100 yards/100 metres |
y | y | y | y | y | y | m | m | m | m | 10 |
220 yards/200 metres straight[nb1] |
y | y | y | y | y | y | m | m | m | m | 10 |
440 yards/400 metres |
y | y | y | y | y | y | m | m | m | m | 10 |
880 yards/800 metres |
y | y | y | y | y | y | m | m | m | m | 10 |
Mile run/1500 metres | y | y | y | y | y | y | m | m | m | m | 10 |
Long-distance road race | 5 mi | 8 mi | – | 5 mi | – | – | – | – | – | – | 3 |
Long-distance track race | – | – | 10 mi | – | 5 mi | 5 mi | – | – | – | – | 3 |
10,000 metres | – | – | – | – | – | – | m | m | m | m | 4 |
120 yards/110 metres hurdles |
y | y | y | y | y | y | m | m | m | m | 10 |
220 yards/200 metres hurdles straight |
y | y | y | y | y | y | m | m | m | – | 9 |
400 metres hurdles | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | m | 1 |
4×100 metres relay |
– | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | m | 1 |
4×220 yards/ 4×200 metres relay |
y | y | y | y | y | y | m | m | m | – | 9 |
4×440 yards/ 4×400 metres relay |
y | y | y | y | y | y | m | m | m | m | 10 |
Pole vault | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 10 |
High jump | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 10 |
Long jump | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 10 |
Triple jump | – | – | – | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | 5 |
Shot put[nb2] | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 10 |
Discus throw | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 10 |
Javelin throw | – | – | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 8 |
Pentathlon[nb3] | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 10 |
Decathlon[nb3] | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | 10 |
- nb1 The 1934 edition of the 200 metres was held in a "turn" format, as opposed to the usual straight format
- nb2 Between 1921 and 1930 a lighter than international standard implement was used in the shot put.
- nb3 A variety of combined track and field events points scoring methods were used over the history of the competition.
Multiple champions
Given that the games were held during a period when athletics was a developing sport in the three participating nations, several athletes were dominant in their events at the competition. The event also saw the development of some of the region's athletes into international standard competitors. Foremost of these was Japanese athlete
Athlete | Titles | Nation | Event(s) | Period |
---|---|---|---|---|
Fortunato Catalon | 9 | Philippines | 100 yd (4), 100 m (1), 200 yd (4) | 1917–1925 |
Mikio Oda | 7 | Japan | Long jump (2), triple jump (4), decathlon | 1923–1930 |
Regino Ylanan | 4 | Philippines | Shot put (2), discus throw, pentathlon | 1913–1915 |
Genaro Saavedra | 4 | Philippines | 100 yards, high jump, pole vault, decathlon | 1915 |
Alejo Alvarez | 3 | Philippines | Shot put (2), discus throw | 1917–1919 |
Katsuo Okazaki | 3 | Japan | 880 yd (1), mile run (2) | 1921–1923 |
Antonio Alo | 3 | Philippines | Pole vault | 1919–1925 |
Juan Taduran | 3 | Philippines | Decathlon | 1921–1925 |
Generoso Rabaya | 3 | Philippines | 110 m hurdles (2), shot put | 1925–1927 |
Kosaku Sumiyoshi | 3 | Japan | Javelin throw (2), pentathlon | 1927–1930 |
Simeon Toribio | 3 | Philippines | High jump | 1927–1934 |
Takayoshi Yoshioka | 3 | Japan | 100 m (1), 200 m (2) | 1930–1934 |
Olympic medallists
The competition was the first venue for international athletics between specifically Asian nations. As a result, the games was the place where Asia's top international athletes of the period first found success. Nine of these athletes went on to claim Asia's first
Two Filipinos, Simeon Toribio and Miguel White, were Far Eastern champions that later won Olympic bronze medals, Toribio in the high jump and White in the 400 metres hurdles. As of 2015, these remain the only athletes from that nation to have reached the Olympic podium in athletics competition.[17]
A total of seven Far Eastern Championship Games athletes went on to win athletics medals for
Medals (1913-1934)
Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Philippines (PHI) | 89 | 72 | 79 | 240 |
2 | Japan (JPN) | 77 | 81 | 60 | 218 |
3 | China (CHN) | 18 | 33 | 35 | 86 |
Totals (3 entries) | 184 | 186 | 174 | 544 |
See also
- List of international athletics championships and games
References
- ISBN 0-7864-1026-4.
- ^ a b c England, Frederick O. (1926). History of the Far Eastern Athletic Association. Official Bulletin of the International Olympic Committee (pg. 18-19). Retrieved on 2015-01-10.
- ^ Stefan Hübner, “Muscular Christianity and the ‘Western Civilizing Mission’: Elwood S. Brown, the YMCA and the Idea of the Far Eastern Championship Games,”. Diplomatic History (advance access version); doi: 10.1093/dh/dht126.
- ^ England, Frederick O. (1926). History of the Far Eastern Athletic Association. Official Bulletin of the International Olympic Committee (pg. 19-20). Retrieved on 2015-01-10.
- ^ Longest Running Road Races. Association of Road Racing Statisticians. Retrieved on 2015-01-10.
- ^ Ekiden. Ekiden du Capmartin. Retrieved on 2015-01-10.
- ^ Asian Championships. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-01-10.
- ^ Asian Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-01-10.
- ^ a b c Far Eastern Championship Games. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-01-10.
- IAAF. Retrieved on 2010-04-26.
- ^ Philippines Athletics. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-01-01.
- ^ "12th IAAF World Championships In Athletics: IAAF Statistics Handbook. Berlin 2009" (PDF). Monte Carlo: IAAF Media & Public Relations Department. 2009. pp. Pages 546, 547. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 29, 2011. Retrieved July 29, 2009.
- ^ Kosaku Sumiyoshi. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-01-10.
- ^ History of the NCAA Archived 2011-07-15 at the Wayback Machine. NCAA Philippines. Retrieved on 2015-01-10.
- ^ Katsuo Okazaki. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-01-10.
- ^ Washington Post, October 12, 1965, pC4
- ^ Philippines Athletics Olympics. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-01-10.
- ^ a b Japan Athletics Men's Triple Jump Results. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-01-10.
- ^ Japan Athletics Men's Long Jump Results. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-01-10.
- ^ Japan Athletics Men's Pole Vault Results. Sports Reference. Retrieved on 2015-01-10.