(Sports news) The Asian Games 2022, originally set to be held from September 10 to 25th in Hangzhou, China will be postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As of now, no alternative date has been announced. The country is currently in the midst of their biggest COVID-19 outbreak and Shanghai has been in lockdown for more than a month. The organisers had initially planned to go ahead with the tournament as scheduled with the implementation of strict bio bubbles but the decision to postpone the games came after a meeting with the OCA’s executive committee.
In a statement released by the OCA, they said “The new dates of the 19th Asian Games will be agreed between the OCA, the COC and the HAGOC and announced in the near future. HAGOC (Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee) has been very well prepared to deliver the Games on time despite global challenges. However, the above decision was taken by all the stakeholders after carefully considering the pandemic situation and the size of the Games. The name and the emblem of the 19th Asian Games will remain unchanged, and the OCA believes that the Games will achieve complete success through the joint efforts of all parties.”
The decision to postpone the tournament has had a mixed reception from Indian athletes, who have traditionally found more success in the Asiad and Commonwealth Games rather than the Olympics. The indefinite postponement is being looked at as a blessing and a curse, as it gives athletes more time to prepare for the tournament but also leaves them in the dark with regards to their training regime in order to be at their ‘peak’ heading into the Asian Games. The Asian Games is also a qualifying event for the Paris 2024 Olympics so it’s fair to say that the importance of the event cannot be underestimated.
Hockey India had originally planned to send its second string team to the Commonwealth Games, while the main squad would participate in the Asiad due to concerns about the team playing at their peak for two demanding tournaments within a space of a few months. However, with the indefinite postponement of the Asian Games, the governing body can now send its strongest team to Birmingham for the Commonwealth Games. As for other sports, athletes will have to face a myriad of complications with regards to their training as 2023 is already a packed year in terms of sporting events and accommodating a tournament as big as the Asian Games could be a monumental task.
Also read: Olympics, Asian Games medal winners to be appointed in UP govt: Cabinet
