Far Eastern Championship Games

Last updated
Far Eastern Championship Games
Far Eastern Championship Games logo.png
First event 1913 in Manila, Philippine Islands
Occur every2 years
Last event 1934 in Manila, Philippine Islands

The Far Eastern Championship Games (also known as the Far Eastern Championships, Far Eastern Games or Far East Games) was an Asian multi-sport event considered to be a precursor to the Asian Games.

Contents

History

The Japanese delegation at the 1927 Far Eastern Games 1927 Far Eastern Games.jpg
The Japanese delegation at the 1927 Far Eastern Games

In 1913, Elwood Brown, president of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Association and Manila Carnival Games, proposed the creation of the "Far Eastern Olympic Games" to China and Japan. It was at that time that Governor-General William Cameron Forbes was the president of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation from 1911-1913. Governor-General Forbes formed the Far Eastern Olympic Association.

Brown collaborated with J. Howard Crocker and YMCA from missionaries in China, Japan and the Philippines, to establish the Far Eastern Championship Games. [1] [2]

The first event was held on the Manila Carnival grounds (later the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex) in Malate, Manila, Philippines on February 4, 1913 and was known as the "First Oriental Olympic Games". Forbes was also the one who formally declare the games open. [3] Six countries participated in the eight-day event: the host country then-named Philippine Islands, Republic of China, Empire of Japan, British East Indies (Malaysia), Kingdom of Thailand and British crown colony Hong Kong.

In 1915, the name changed to Far Eastern Championship Games and the association to Far Eastern Athletic Association when the event was held at Hongkou Park in Shanghai, China. [4] They were held there again in 1921. [5] The games were held every two years except in 1929 when Japan decided to delay the project to 1930. The FEAA decided to change the time table to four years and the Philippine Islands hosted the tenth games in 1934. Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) joined in the 1934 FECG.

The 1934 edition was held in a period of dispute between China and Japan, following the Japanese invasion of Manchuria in 1931. Inclusion of people from this region in the games caused controversy between the two member nations, which resulted in the break-up of the Far Eastern Athletic Association. In September 1937, Japan invaded China with the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and started the Second Sino-Japanese War (which later became part of World War II), thus the planned games in 1938 were cancelled. [3]

Editions

1923 Far Eastern Championship Games. FECG1923BB.jpg
1923 Far Eastern Championship Games.
YearGamesDatesHost cityHost nation
1913 1 3–7 February Manila Flag of the United States (1912-1959).svg Philippines
1915 2 15–21 May Shanghai Flag of the Republic of China 1912-1928.svg  China
1917 3 8–12 May Tokyo Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Japan
1919 4 12–16 May Manila Flag of the Philippines (1919-1936).svg Philippines
1921 5 30 May–3 June Shanghai Flag of the Republic of China 1912-1928.svg  China
1923 6 21–25 May Osaka Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Japan
1925 7 17–22 May Manila Flag of the Philippines (1919-1936).svg Philippines
1927 8 28–31 August Shanghai Flag of the Republic of China 1912-1928.svg  China
1930 9 24–27 May Tokyo Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Japan
1934 10 16–20 May Manila Flag of the Philippines (1919-1936).svg Philippines
1938 11 Cancelled Osaka Flag of Japan (1870-1999).svg Japan

Sports

A total of nine different sports were contested over the lifetime of the competition. Eight of the sports featured on each programmes of the games, with the ninth sport – cycling – being held once only, in 1915. [3]

Participating nations

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippines national football team</span> Mens association football team

The Philippines national football team represents the Philippines in international football, governed by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) and has been playing internationally since 1913.

The 1st Far Eastern Championship Games were held in 1–9 February 1913 in Manila, Philippines. The inaugural tournament was officially opened by Governor General William Cameron Forbes at the Carnival Grounds in Malate, Manila. Six countries participated at the tournament.

The 1915 Far Eastern Championship Games was the second edition of the regional multi-sport event, contested between China, Japan and the Philippines, and was held from 15 to 22 May 1915 in Shanghai, Republic of China. A total of nine sports were contested – the inclusion of cycling increased the total from the eight held at the first edition. This marked the first time that the event was held under its Far Eastern Championship Games moniker, followed a change from the naming as the Oriental Olympic Games in 1913.

The 1930 Far Eastern Championship Games was the ninth edition of the regional multi-sport event and was held from 24 to 27 May 1930 in Tokyo, Empire of Japan. A total of eight sports were contested over the course of the five-day event.

The 1934 Far Eastern Championship Games was the tenth edition of the regional multi-sport event, contested between China, Japan and the Philippines, and was held from 16 to 20 May in Manila, the Philippines. A total of eight sports were contested during the four-day competition. The Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) participated at the games, becoming only the second nation outside of the traditional three to send a delegation to the event. The games were held at the then newly built sports complex, Rizal Memorial Field which was constructed on the former site of the Manila Carnival Grounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in the Philippines</span> Overview of sports tradition in the Philippines

Sports in the Philippines is an important part of the country's culture. There are six major sports in the Philippines: basketball, boxing, tennis, football, billiards, and volleyball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FIBA Asia Cup</span> Mens basketball competition

The FIBA Asia Cup is an international basketball tournament which takes place every four years between the men's national teams of Asia and Oceania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Basketball in the Philippines</span>

Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines, played on both the amateur and professional levels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dionisio Calvo</span> Filipino basketball player and coach

Dionisio "Chito" Calvo was a Filipino basketball player, swimmer, and coach who mentored both the basketball and football national teams of the Philippines. He was one of the greatest Filipino sportsmen in history and helped in the development of both Philippine and Asian basketball.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambrosio Padilla</span> Filipino basketball player and politician

Ambrosio Bibby Padilla was a Filipino basketball player and an elected member of the Senate of the Philippines. He was one of the most important figures in Asian basketball development.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium</span>

The Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium is a baseball stadium located inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, Philippines. It has a seating capacity of 10,000.

Football at Far Eastern Championship Games was the only major international football competition in Asia pre-World War II. It was contested by China, Japan and the Philippines, with the Dutch East Indies joining the last edition of the tournament in 1934.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Football in the Philippines</span> Overview of football in the Philippines

Football in the Philippines is administered by the Philippine Football Federation (PFF), the governing body of football in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation</span>

The Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation(PAAF) was the governing body of sports in the Philippines and the predecessor of the Philippine Olympic Committee.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elwood Brown</span>

Elwood Stanley Brown was an American sports organizer in Illinois, Manila, Europe, and South America. In his short life, he had a number of major accomplishments, such as, the intensive promotion of sports among Filipinos. Introducing international sports competitions in Asia. The promotion of the Olympics around the world. Founding of the first Boy Scout troops in the Philippines (1910), initiating and organizing the American Expeditionary Forces games and its corollary the Inter-Allied Games at the end of the War in Europe.

Baseball was contested at the Far Eastern Championship Games and was one of the main eight sports on the programme.

Athletics was one of the sports at the biennial Far Eastern Championship Games. Athletics competitions were held at every one of the ten editions of the games, which existed between 1913 and 1934. This represented the first time that a regular major international athletics competition occurred between Asian nations. It was later succeeded by athletics at the Asian Games, which began in 1951.

The East Asian Games, also known as the Asian Development Games were multi-sport events organized by the Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAA). The games were meant to be a replacement to the cancelled 1938 Far Eastern Championship Games and 1940 Summer Olympics originally to be hosted by Japan, and also served as a propaganda tool for Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fortunato Catalon</span> Filipino sprinter

Fortunato Catalon was a Filipino track and field sprinter.

Region R. Ylanan was a Filipino athlete, physician, sports administrator, physical educator, and sports historian. He rose to fame with three gold medals in track and field at the 1913 Far Eastern Championship Games in Manila. He won two further medals at the 1915 Games and also represented his country in baseball at three editions of the tournament.

References

  1. Keyes, Mary Eleanor (October 1964). John Howard Crocker LL. D., 1870–1959 (Thesis). London, Ontario: University of Western Ontario. p. 52. OCLC   61578234.
  2. Jones, Gordon R. (October 29, 1914). "Disappearance of German Merchantmen a Sore Blow". Brantford Expositor . Brantford, Ontario. p. 10. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved May 28, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Bell, Daniel (2003). Encyclopedia of International Games. McFarland and Company, Inc. Publishers, Jefferson, North Carolina. ISBN   0-7864-1026-4.
  4. Morris 2004, p. 25-30.
  5. Morris 2004, p. 89.

Sources