The 17th Asian Games, held in Incheon in 2014, gathered 9,501 athletes across 36 sports, breaking 14 world and 27 Asian records.
Key Facts
- Athletes participated
- 9,501
- Sports featured
- 36
- Events contested
- 439
- World records broken
- 14
- Asian records broken
- 27
- Duration
- 19 September – 4 October 2014
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
On 17 April 2007, Incheon was awarded hosting rights for the 17th Asian Games, defeating Delhi, India. This made Incheon the third South Korean city to host the games, following Seoul in 1986 and Busan in 2002, continuing the country's tradition of major international sporting events.
From 19 September to 4 October 2014, approximately 9,501 athletes from across Asia competed in 439 events across 36 sports in Incheon, South Korea. The Games were officially opened by President Park Geun-hye at the Incheon Asiad Main Stadium, with Japanese swimmer Kosuke Hagino named MVP.
China led the final medal tally, with host South Korea second and Japan third. Cambodia claimed its first-ever Asian Games gold medal. The Games were considered broadly successful due to their relatively low hosting cost and the demonstrated rising competitive standard among Asian nations, despite some controversies.