South Asian Games

Last updated
South Asian Games (SAG)
SAOC.jpg
Logo of South Asia Olympic Council
AbbreviationSAG
MottoPeace, Prosperity and Progress
First event1984;40 years ago (1984)
Occur every4 years
Next event 2024 Lahore, Pakistan
Purpose Multi-sport event for nations in South Asia

The South Asian Games (SAG or SA Games), formerly known as the South Asian Federation Games (SAFG or SAF Games), is a quadrennial multi-sport event held among the athletes from South Asia. The governing body of these games is South Asia Olympic Council (SAOC), formed in 1983. Currently, the SAOC comprises 7 member countries, namely Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Afghanistan participated 4 times in the SAF Games since 2004, but left the SAOC after participating in the 2016 edition and joined CAOC.

Contents

The first South Asian Games were hosted by Kathmandu, Nepal in 1984. From 1984 to 1987 they were held every year except 1986, as it was a year of Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. From 1987 onwards, they have been held every two years except for some occasions. In 2004, it was decided in the 32nd meeting of South Asian Sports Council to rename the games from the South Asian Federation Games to the South Asian Games as officials believed the word Federation was diminishing the emphasis on the event and acting as a barrier to attracting spectators. [1] These Games are often hyped as the South Asian version of Olympic Games. The XIII South Asian Games was held at Kathmandu, Pokhara and Janakpur from 1 December to 10 December 2019.

The South Asian Games is one of five subregional Games of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). The others are the Central Asian Games, the East Asian Youth Games, the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games), and the West Asian Games. [2]

List of South Asian Games

EditionYearHost City/CitiesHost NationNationsSportsEvents
1 1984 Kathmandu Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal 7562
2 1985 Dhaka Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 7794
3 1987 Calcutta Flag of India.svg  India 710116
4 1989 Islamabad Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 710114
5 1991 Colombo Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 710142
6 1993 Dhaka Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 711115
7 1995 Madras Flag of India.svg  India 714143
8 1999 Kathmandu Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal 712163
9 2004 Islamabad Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan 815170
10 2006 Colombo Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka 820197
11 2010 Dhaka Flag of Bangladesh.svg  Bangladesh 823158
12 2016 Guwahati/Shillong Flag of India.svg  India 822226
13 2019 Kathmandu/Pokhara/Janakpur Flag of Nepal.svg    Nepal 726317
14 2024 Lahore Flag of Pakistan.svg  Pakistan TBD

Sports

Following 29 sports have been competed in South Asian Games history till latest edition:

Overall performance

As of the conclusion of the 2019 South Asian Games. [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]

CountryTop Ranked TeamSecond-Ranked TeamThird-Ranked Team
Flag of India.svg India 13 times
Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan 7 times4 times
Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Sri Lanka 4 times7 times
Flag of Nepal.svg Nepal 2 times
Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh 2 times

All-time medal table

As of the conclusion of the 2019 South Asian Games. (Updated after doping results)

Rank NOC ParticipatedGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Flag of India.svg India 1312637363792378
2 Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan 132974214321150
3 Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Sri Lanka 132504366811367
4 Flag of Nepal.svg Nepal 13124186380690
5 Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh 1386210493789
6 Flag of Bhutan.svg Bhutan 132236691
7 Flag of Maldives.svg Maldives 13131317
Former Member
Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg Afghanistan 1 4212879128

1Left SAOC and joined CAG.

Original Articles

  1. India at the South Asian Games
  2. Pakistan at the South Asian Games
  3. Sri Lanka at the South Asian Games
  4. Nepal at the South Asian Games
  5. Bangladesh at the South Asian Games
  6. Afghanistan at the South Asian Games
  7. Bhutan at the South Asian Games
  8. Maldives at the South Asian Games

Detailed Medal Table by Years

Note : Medals not updated in official websites after doping results

RankNOC1984198519871989199119931995199920042006201020162019
Gold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svgGold medal icon.svgSilver medal icon.svgBronze medal icon.svg
1 Flag of India.svg India442816613214914519614320645941604631106601910258371035732118694790553018892281759245
2 Flag of Pakistan.svg Pakistan532212612163614423322283225232220103336103630385550434471192536123557304157
3 Flag of Sri Lanka.svg Sri Lanka711192794723610214434402022391625531642621732573763781635542564984084128
4 Flag of Nepal.svg Nepal41281922273311332282916154816311024762091531891932335516096
5 Flag of Bangladesh.svg Bangladesh281391738320311122448281119327173421035313243153418235641655193289
6 Flag of Bhutan.svg Bhutan002004015003000000002167132031002301150713
7 Flag of Maldives.svg Maldives001000000000010000001004000000002021104
Former Member
Flag of Afghanistan (2013-2021).svg AfghanistanNot part of SAOC 1328671679167919Not part of SAOC

South Asian Beach Games

EditionYearHost CityHost NationTop Placed Team
I 2011 Hambantota Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka Flag of India.svg  India  (IND)

South Asian Winter Games

EditionYearHost City/CitiesHost NationTop Placed Team
I 2011 [16] Dehradun and Auli Flag of India.svg  India Flag of India.svg  India  (IND)

See also

Related Research Articles

The South Asia Olympic Council (SAOC) formerly known as South Asian Sports Federation, is the governing body of South Asian Games, South Asian Beach Games and South Asian Winter Games. The South Asia Olympic Council is a sports body that looks after sports ties among the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

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

The Nepal national football team represents Nepal in International men's football, and is governed by the All Nepal Football Association (ANFA). A member of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Nepali football team plays their home games at Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2006 South Asian Games</span>

The 2006 South Asian Games were held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 18 August to 28 August 2006, in the Sugathadasa Stadium with more than 2000 sportspersons competing in the record 20 disciplines of Sports.

The 1984 South Asian Games was the first edition of South Asian Games. It was held in Kathmandu, Nepal from 17 to 23 September 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1985 South Asian Games</span>

The 1985 South Asian Games were held in Dhaka, Bangladesh from 20 December to 26 December 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1993 South Asian Games</span>

The 1993 South Asian Games, officially the 6th South Asian Games, took place from December 20 to December 27, 1993, in Dhaka, Bangladesh and thus in SAF games history, Dhaka became the first city to host the event for second time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2004 South Asian Games</span>

The 2004 South Asian Games, officially known as the IX South Asian Federation Games, were held in Islamabad, Pakistan from 29 March to 7 April 2004. Originally scheduled for 2001, the games were postponed in the wake of the 9/11 attacks on the United States in which the US later declared Pakistan a major non-NATO ally. The slogan for the Games was Rising Above. For the first time, Afghanistan participated in the games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1999 South Asian Games</span>

The 1999 South Asian Games were held in Kathmandu, Nepal from 25 September to 4 October 1999. King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev declared the games open amidst a grand ceremony.

The 1989 South Asian Games, officially the IV South Asian Federation Games, were held in Islamabad, Pakistan from 20 October to 28 October 1989. Muhammad Ali appeared as a special guest at the closing ceremony.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games</span> Martial arts competition

The 2013 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, officially 4th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games and also known as Incheon 2013, was a pan-continental event held in Incheon, South Korea from 29 June to 6 July 2013 that served as a dress-rehearsal for the upcoming 2014 Asian Games, which was also held in the same city. It was the first event to be held under the "Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games" name following the merger of two OCA events – Asian Indoor Games and Asian Martial Arts Games, inherited the edition numeral of the former. Doha, Qatar was initially scheduled to host the 4th Asian Indoor Games in 2011, but withdrawn in June 2008 due to "unforeseen circumstances", with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) chose Incheon instead as a replacement and postponed the games to 2013.

This article lists the results for the Bhutan national football team.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 South Asian Beach Games</span>

The 1st South Asian Beach Games was held in Hambantota, Sri Lanka between 8 and 14 October 2011. The opening ceremony was held at the Hambantota Beach Stadium, located in Hambantota district. 359 athletes from eight South Asian nations were competed.

Secretary-General of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is head of a SAARC Secretariat, which is headquartered in Kathmandu, Nepal. SAARC is an economic and geopolitical union between the eight South Asian member nations, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Secretary-General is appointed for a three-year term by election by a council of Ministers from member states. Secretary-General is assisted by eight deputies, one from each nation, who also reside in Kathmandu. SAARC Secretariat was established in Kathmandu on 16 January 1987 by Bangladeshi diplomat Abul Ahsan, who was its first Secretary-General, and was inaugurated by King Birendra Bir Bikram Shah of Nepal. Since its creation, its member nations have contributed to a total of fourteenth General Secretaries. Golam Sarwar from Bangladesh is the current Secretary-General of SAARC, having assumed charge on 4 March 2023.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 South Asian Games</span> Multi-sport event

The 2016 South Asian Games, officially the XII South Asian Games, is a major multi-sport event which took place from 5 February to 16 February 2016 in Guwahati and Shillong, India. A total of 2,672 athletes competed in 226 events over 22 sports. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati on 5 February 2016. India continued its dominance in the game's medal tally with a staggering 308 medals including 188 gold medals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 South Asian Games</span> XIII South Asian Games

The 2019 South Asian Games, officially the XIII South Asian Games, was a major multi-sport event which was originally slated to be held from 9 to 18 March 2019 in Kathmandu and Pokhara, Nepal. However, the dates were postponed and the event was held from 1–10 December 2019, coincidentally at the same time as the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines. The new dates were confirmed at the South Asian Olympic Council Executive Board meeting in Bangkok on 1 March 2019. The Dasarath Stadium hosted the opening ceremony along with the men's football tournament, with the stadium's renovation after the 2015 earthquake completed in under 10 months with an increased capacity of 20,000, along with the closing ceremony on 10 December.

The South Asian Games are a biennial multi-sport event held among the athletes from South Asia. The governing body of these games is South Asian Sports Council (SASC), formed in 1983. At present, SAG are joined by eight members namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka.

The 2024 South Asian Games, officially the XIV South Asian Games, will be a major multi-sport event which will be held in Pakistan, and will have Lahore, the capital of Punjab province as main host city. The cities of Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Islamabad and Sialkot will give support to Lahore hosting some sports. The Games were scheduled to be held in March 2023, but later postponed to March 2024 by SAOC members at the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) conference in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. This will mark the third time that Pakistan has hosted the South Asian Games since 1989 and 2004, and the first time that Pakistan has hosted the event outside of Islamabad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bhutan at the South Asian Games</span> Sporting event delegation

Bhutan is a member of South Asian Zone of Olympic Council Of Asia and had participated in all 13 South Asian Games since beginning.

Maldives has participated all 13 editions of South Asian Games governed by South Asia Olympic Council. Maldives never hosted a single South Asian Games so far. At 13th South Asian Games, Maldives claimed its first ever gold. With that achievement Maldives became the last country to win a gold medal at the South Asian Games.

References

  1. It will be South Asian Games Archived 2010-06-04 at the Wayback Machine .Rediff news.April 2, 2004.
  2. Games page Archived 2013-10-14 at the Wayback Machine of the website of the Olympic Council of Asia; retrieved 2010-07-09.
  3. "OCA » Kathmandu 1984". Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  4. "OCA » Dhaka 1985". Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  5. "OCA » Calcutta 1987". Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  6. "OCA » Islamabad 1989". Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  7. "OCA » Colombo 1991". Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  8. "OCA » Dhaka 1993". Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  9. "OCA » Madras 1995". Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  10. "OCA » Kathmandu 1999". Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  11. "OCA » Islamabad 2004". Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  12. "OCA » Colombo 2006". Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  13. "OCA » Dhaka 2010". Archived from the original on 2021-10-20. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  14. "Home". southasiangames2016.nic.in. Archived from the original on 2021-10-28. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  15. "Home". 13sagnepal.com. Archived from the original on 2019-11-17. Retrieved 2021-10-28.
  16. "South Asian Winter Games to have two opening and closing". The Times of India . 2010-11-25. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 2011-08-01.