 | |
| First event | 1913 in Manila, Philippine Islands |
|---|---|
| Occur every | 2 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.
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. Critics of the YMCA's involvement with the creation of the Far Eastern Olympic Games point to it being an example of Western cultural imperialism as the YMCA's goals were to push western ideas of physical strength and culture onto these Asian countries. [4]
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. [5] Many citizens in China were curious about the Far Eastern Championship Games and there was a great amount of interest in the novelty of the organized sporting event. This resulted in large crowds of people attending matches making them quite popular which justified the construction of the new sporting infrastructure in China. The games were deemed very popular and were observed by thousands of spectators in China as well as followed by many in the newspapers. [6] They were held there again in 1921. [7] 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]
| Year | Games | Dates | Host city | Host nation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1913 | 1 | 3–7 February | Manila |  Philippines |
| 1915 | 2 | 15–21 May | Shanghai |  China |
| 1917 | 3 | 8–12 May | Tokyo |  Japan |
| 1919 | 4 | 12–16 May | Manila |  Philippines |
| 1921 | 5 | 30 May–3 June | Shanghai | China |
| 1923 | 6 | 21–25 May | Osaka | Japan |
| 1925 | 7 | 17–22 May | Manila | Philippines |
| 1927 | 8 | 28–31 August | Shanghai | China |
| 1930 | 9 | 24–27 May | Tokyo | Japan |
| 1934 | 10 | 16–20 May | Manila | Philippines |
| 1938 | 11 | Cancelled | Osaka | Japan |
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]
Athletics ()
Baseball ()
Basketball ()
Cycling ()
Diving ()
Football ()
Swimming ()
Tennis ()
Volleyball ()
Republic of China (all editions)
Dutch East Indies (1934 only)
Federated Malay States (1913 only)
British Hong Kong (1913 only)
British Raj (1930 only)
Empire of Japan (all editions) Philippines (all editions)
Kingdom of Siam (1913 only)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 1923 Far Eastern Championship Games was the sixth edition of the regional multi-sport event, contested between China, Japan and the Philippines, and was held from 21–25 May in Osaka, Empire of Japan. It was the first and only time that Osaka hosted the event, marking a departure of the capital Tokyo being the traditional Japanese venue. Java, Thailand and French Indochina were invited to compete, but declined. A total of eight sports were contested over the course of the five-day event.
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 in 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.
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Basketball is the most popular sport in the Philippines, played on both the amateur and professional levels.
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Fortunato Catalon was a Filipino track and field sprinter, who was active in the first half of 1900s. He was selected for the first Philippine delegation to the 1924 Olympics. In 1973, he received special citation from the Asian Amateur Athletic Association as one of the top athletes in Asia for his record in track and field during the first two decades of the 20th century.
Regino 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.
John Howard Crocker was a Canadian educator and sports executive. He began teaching physical education at the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) in his hometown of St. Stephen, New Brunswick, then graduated from the International YMCA Training School, and introduced basketball to Nova Scotia at Amherst. He won the 1896 and 1897 Canadian pentathlon championships, then graduated from University of New Brunswick. After serving in Halifax, he was the physical education director for the Toronto Central YMCA, where he established the YMCA Athletic League. He introduced lifesaving courses to the curriculum by 1903, and was a charter member of the Ontario branch of the Royal Life Saving Society Canada in 1908. As the general secretary of the Brantford YMCA, he helped design and raise funds for a larger building to meet growing membership. He served the YMCA in China from 1911 to 1917, oversaw construction of a new building in Shanghai, and the city's first major sports stadium. He introduced volleyball to China in 1912, then helped establish the Far Eastern Championship Games in 1913. He later served as secretary of the Chinese Olympic Committee, and led a national physical education program with support of the Chinese government. Based in Winnipeg, he implemented YMCA programs despite World War I austerity measures. As secretary for physical education in Canada from 1921 to 1930, his physical education programs sought to produce a whole man, rather than an athlete. He retired from the YMCA after serving as president of the North American Physical Education Society from 1928 to 1930, remaining a lifetime advisor to the YMCA.