Sports in Asia
History
Before the
American colonisation and Christian missionary activities introduced basketball into the Philippines and China, where it became one of their most popular sports.[16][17] Baseball became popular in East Asia through American contact in the early 1900s, and further grew after Japan colonised parts of the region, as Japanese colonies increasingly played their coloniser's sport as a way to prove their equality.[18][19] Similar phenomena factored into the massive growth of other Western sports in parts of Asia that experienced European colonisation.[20][21] After the colonial era ended, Western sports played a significant role in nation-building and connecting different Asian countries together; cricket allowed India to unify its diverse people and conduct "cricket diplomacy" to cool tensions with its neighbor Pakistan,[22][23] while the Asian Games, inspired in part by the post-colonial vision of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, went on to become one of the biggest sporting events in the world.[24][25][26] Table tennis, backed by the Chinese Communist Party as a cheap sport the developing nation could excel in at a global level, became very popular in China.[27]
In the modern day, South Asia is home to the
Basketball
The
The
The main tournament for Asian basketball clubs is the
Association football
The Asian Football Confederation was founded in 1954. They organize several tournaments for national teams, most notably the AFC Asian Cup since 1956 and AFC Women's Asian Cup since 1975, as well as qualifying tournaments for the FIFA World Cup, FIFA Women's World Cup and the Summer Olympics. The AFC Champions League is Asia's premier tournament for clubs, first held in 1967.
The AFC members are split into five regional federations: West, Central, South, East and South East. These federations organize regional football championships.
The most successful Asian countries in international men's competitions have been Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Macau and Mongolia in East, and Iran, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, Syria, Bahrain, Lebanon, Palestine, Kuwait and Yemen in West, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan in South, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan in Central, and Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos in South East. In women's football, East Asian have been dominant, especially Japan, China, South Korea, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong and North Korea, Southeast Asian have been dominant, especially is Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Philippines, West Asian have been dominant, especially is Jordan, Iran, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates, South Asian have been dominant, especially is India, Nepal and Bangladesh, and Central Asian has been dominant, especially is Uzbekistan. Asia has been more successful in women's football than in men's football in the continent.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup was hosted jointly by Japan and South Korea. It was the first edition not held in Europe or the Americas. The 2017 FIFA U-17 World Cup and 2022 FIFA U-17 women's world cup was hosted by India. The 2022 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to take place in Qatar.
The People's Republic of China hosted the first edition of the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1991, as well as the 2007 edition.
The top five most popular football clubs on social media from Asia excluding China as of 31 October 2018:[34]
# | Football club | Country | Followers |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Persib |
Indonesia | 15.4 million |
2 | Al-Hilal | Saudi Arabia | 11.3 million |
3 | Al-Ittihad | Saudi Arabia | 4.6 million |
4 | Persija |
Indonesia | 4.2 million |
5 | Kerala Blasters |
India | 3.6 million |
Bandy
Baseball
Baseball is the most popular sport in Japan, where it was introduced in the 1870s and became professional in the 1920s. The Japanese Baseball League was operated from 1936 to 1949 and reorganized into the Nippon Professional Baseball in 1950. Teams have been historically identified with their corporate owners, not where the team is based, and have often relocated to other cities.
Over 50 Japanese-born players have played in Major League Baseball, including Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Koji Uehara and Hideo Nomo.
The
In South Korea, baseball was introduced in the 1900s and the KBO League was established in 1982, The South Korean team was the runner-up in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The Taiwan-based Chinese Professional Baseball League was established in 1989. Like the NPB, these two leagues feature teams owned by major corporations.
Boxing
Cricket
Cricket is a popular sport in South Asia. Five countries have Test status: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.
At the
The
The Asia Cup is the continental One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket tournament. The Indian Premier League a Twenty20 cricket tournament for franchise teams held since 2008.
The India–Pakistan cricket rivalry attracts up to one billion viewers. However, because of the tense India–Pakistan relations, Test series have been interrupted between 1962 and 1977, 1999-2003 and since 2008.
Cue Sports
Cue sports also known as Billiards Sports or Pool Sports are popular in Asia particularly in East and South Asian nations with Eight Balls, Nine Balls and Snooker being the most popular types. The Asian Confederation of Billiard Sports is the main governing body in Asia. Cue sports are played in Asian Games and other regional competitions. Various nations have produced world champions predominantly from the Philippines, India, Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong.[43]
The Philippines is often considered to be the pool capital of the world because many of the top players coming from the country. Filipino players are known for their exceptional mastery of the game and innovative strategies that have revolutionized the way the sport is played. This was known as the Filipino Invasion which was participated by various Filipino players including Hall of Famers Efren The Magician Reyes and Francisco Bustamante.[44]
Field Hockey
Golf
Few Asian male golf players have claimed wins on the
In contrast, many Asian female golf players have enjoyed success on the leading
Notable men's golf tournaments in Asia include the
Kabaddi
Kho kho
Motorsport
Japan has hosted professional championships like the
The
Formula One started adding more races in Asia with the Malaysian Grand Prix in 1999, followed by the Bahrain Grand Prix and Chinese Grand Prix in 2004, Singapore Grand Prix in 2008, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix in 2009, Korean Grand Prix in 2010, Indian Grand Prix in 2013 and Azerbaijan's European Grand Prix in 2016.
Major circuits in China (
In rallying, the
Rugby union
Rugby union in Asia is currently dominated by Japan. The Japanese national team are so far the only Asian team to have competed in the Rugby World Cup, having appeared in all seven tournaments so far.
The
The
Table tennis
Table tennis is particularly popular in China. Other notable Asian table tennis countries include Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan.
Tennis
The most successful Asian countries in tennis have been India, China, Japan and Taiwan.
In men's singles, Kei Nishikori was finalist at the 2014 US Open and two ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, whereas Vijay Amritraj reached quarter-finals at four Grand Slams and was semifinalist at the 1982 WCT Finals. In men's doubles, Leander Paes of India won eight Grand Slams tournaments and Mahesh Bhupathi won four Grand Slams tournaments and in mixed double Paes won 10 and Bhupathi won 8 grand slams. Leander Paes won total of 18 grand slams which is the highest by an Asian tennis player and also he is among the very few to complete career slam in both men's doubles and mixed doubles. Rohan Bopanna won his first mixed doubles grand slam title at the 2017 French Open. So far only Indian men are successful in winning grand slams and also the most successful Asian team at the Davis Cup having reached the finals on three occasions.
Volleyball
In men's volleyball, the Japan national team has won three Olympic medals, including a gold medal in 1972. Also, the team was third at the 1970 and 1974 World Championship, and second at the 1969 and 1977 World Cup. Japan has been less successful in the World League era. Meanwhile, South Korea finished fourth at the 1978 World Championship and Iran finished sixth at the 2014 World Championship.
In women's volleyball, the China and Japan national teams are dominant. China has won three Olympic gold medals, two World Championships, four World Cups and a Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Japan has won two Olympic gold medals, three World Championships and a World Cup. South Korea has also claimed third places at the Olympic Games, World Championship, World Cup and World Grand Prix.
Games
Asia has hosted a total of eight
The three most successful countries at the Olympic Games are China (winners in 2008 and runners-up in 2004, 2012, and 2020), Japan (third in 1964, 1968, and 2020) and South Korea (fourth in 1988 and fifth in 2010 and 2012). Asian countries have dominated judo, taekwondo, badminton and table tennis, while they have also been successful in archery, diving, gymnastics and weightlifting.
The Far Eastern Championship Games was a multi-sport event held from 1913 to 1934, featuring competitors from all over Asia. After World War II, the Asian Games, also called the Asiad, were established in 1951. The Asian Games are the world's second largest multi-sport event after the Olympic Games.[48][49] There is also a winter edition of Asian Games, which was first held in 1986.
Israel has been banned from the Asian Games since 1978, with the AGF citing security reasons. However, Israeli sports officials contend that it was due to Arab and Chinese opposition to their participation. Samuel Lalkin, general security of the Israel Sports Federation, said "The excuse that we pose big security problems is completely ridiculous if you think that North Korea is competing. That's a worse problem, but they want to see us out. We can't take part because of what we are."[50] Due to the Arab–Israeli conflict, Israel sports federations have joined the European confederations.
Some Asian countries compete at the Commonwealth Games, most notably India (4th in all-time medals), Malaysia (11th), Singapore (13th) and Pakistan (15th). The 1998 edition was held in Kuala Lumpur, whereas the 2010 edition was held in Delhi.
See also
- Asia cup
- Asian Championship
- Australian rules football in Asia
- Football in Asia
- List of professional sports leagues in Asia
- Olympic Council of Asia
- Sport in Africa
- Sport in Europe
- Sport in North America
- Sport in Oceania
- Sport in South America
- Sport in South Asia
- UCI Asia Tour
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