THE ASIAN GAMES

From 1913 to 1934, ten Far East Championships were held in Asia. However, due to outbreak of World War II, the championships had to be suspended. After the war, a number of Asian countries gained their independence and their economies and cultures developed. This resulted in an increasing desire among the people of these countries to become less isolated from each other and to strengthen regional ties. To keep abreast of the changes taking place, the Indian Prime Minister of the day, Jawaharal Nehru, proposed at a conference on relations between Asian countries that an Asian sport meet be held in 1974.

In August 1948, during the 14th Olympic Games held in London, India proposed to sports leaders of the Asian teams the idea of holding the Asian Games. An agreement was made to form the Asian Athletic Federation and plans were laid to hold the first Asian Athletic Championships in New Delhi, India, in 1949 A Preparatory Committee was appointed to draft the charter for the Asian Amateur Athletic Federation. In February 1949, the Asian Amateur Athletic Federation was formally established and the name was changed to the Asian Athletic Federation.

It was agreed that the 1st Asian Games would be held in New Delhi in 1950, but the games had to be postponed and were eventually held in 1951 Since that time, the Asian Games have been held on a regular basis every four years, in between the Olympic Games. 

The objective of the Games is to deepen friendship and promote sports and international exchange among the people of Asia. The Asian Games follow the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) credo of & quote, ever Onward & quote. During their four-decade history, Asian Games have been advancing in all aspects. The quality of athletes, officials, sporting facilities has been developing through time. New sports events have been added to the Games. At the same time, magnificent, traditional sports played by peoples in the region have also been introduced in order to preserve and even have them spread to other parts of the world.

THE HISTORY OF THE COMMONWEALTH GAMES

Commonwealth Games was proposed by Englishman, Astley Cooper in 1891 as a festival ". Reverend J Astley Cooper was largely responsible for the concept of a sporting contest amongst the countries of the British Commonwealth. 

He wrote an article in 1891 for the magazine Greater Britain, in which he suggested that a festival combining sporting, military and literary events that would draw closer the ties and increase the goodwill and understanding of the Empire. His suggestion generated a great deal of interest in Britain and the British Colonies.

The holding of the first recorded Games between Empire athletes coincided with the celebrations in connection with the Coronation of His Majesty King George the Fifth in 1911, and was known as the 'Festival of Empire'.
A large and representative Committee, with the Earl of Plymouth as Chairman, arranged at the Crystal Palace Grounds in London a series of entertainment's and exhibitions pertaining to the progress and development of the British Empire.


When the Olympic Games were in progress in Amsterdam in 1928, the splendid feelings of friendliness between the Empire athletes at that Olympiad strengthened the ideas for the revival of Empire meetings. In view of Canada's victory in 1911, it was appropriate that it should have been through the initiative of a Canadian - M. M Robinson - that the British Empire Games took definite shape, and were revived at Hamilton, Canada in 1930.
Support was forthcoming from England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, with the result that strong teams were sent to Canada. Teams also came from Australia, New Zealand, Bermuda, British Guiana, Newfoundland and South Africa. 

The success of the first British Empire Games at Hamilton in 1930 provided full proof of the existence of the spirit of comradeship and cooperation between members of the British nation and the world over, and will go down in the history of British sport as the achievement of all that is best in the sporting traditions of the British race.
During these Games, at a council of representatives of Great Britain and the Dominions and Colonies, it was decided that similar meetings should be held every four years in between the Olympic Games, and that a British Empire Games Federation should be formed. Accordingly, when teams throughout the Empire were gathered together at the Tenth Olympiad at Los Angeles in 1932, the formation of the British Empire Games Federation was further discussed and the Federation was subsequently constituted.


In 1952 the Federation was retitled "British Empire and Commonwealth Games Federation". In Jamaica 1966 it became the "British Commonwealth Games Federation and in 1974 at Christchurch the title was again changed to the "Commonwealth Games Federation". 

In general construction, the Commonwealth Games are designed on the Olympic model, not in competition, but entirely complementary to the older series of Games, and, organised as they are between the Olympic celebrations, the experience gained should be of a real help to the Commonwealth athletes when facing the sterner trial of the great international meetings. The Commonwealth champions of today may well be the Olympic challengers of tomorrow.