In this article, we will explore the fascinating world of South Asian Games and all the implications that this entails. From its origins to its impact on today's society, South Asian Games has been a topic of great interest and controversy. Throughout history, South Asian Games has played a crucial role in different aspects of human life, influencing both culture and technology. Through this article, we will take an in-depth look at the different aspects of South Asian Games and how it has evolved over time. We are confident that this analysis will allow us to better understand the impact and relevance of South Asian Games in the contemporary world.
Abbreviation | SAG |
---|---|
Motto | Peace, Prosperity and Progress |
First event | 1984 |
Occur every | 4 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.
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. 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.
Edition | Year | Host City/Cities | Host Nation | Nations | Sports | Events |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 1984 | Kathmandu | Nepal | 7 | 5 | 62 |
2 | 1985 | Dhaka | Bangladesh | 7 | 7 | 94 |
3 | 1987 | Calcutta | India | 7 | 10 | 116 |
4 | 1989 | Islamabad | Pakistan | 7 | 10 | 114 |
5 | 1991 | Colombo | Sri Lanka | 7 | 10 | 142 |
6 | 1993 | Dhaka | Bangladesh | 7 | 11 | 115 |
7 | 1995 | Madras | India | 7 | 14 | 143 |
8 | 1999 | Kathmandu | Nepal | 7 | 12 | 163 |
9 | 2004 | Islamabad | Pakistan | 8 | 15 | 170 |
10 | 2006 | Colombo | Sri Lanka | 8 | 20 | 197 |
11 | 2010 | Dhaka | Bangladesh | 8 | 23 | 158 |
12 | 2016 | Guwahati/Shillong | India | 8 | 22 | 226 |
13 | 2019 | Kathmandu/Pokhara/Janakpur | Nepal | 7 | 26 | 317 |
14 | 2024 | Lahore | Pakistan | TBD |
Following 29 sports have been competed in South Asian Games history till latest edition:
As of the conclusion of the 2019 South Asian Games.
Country | Top Ranked Team | Second-Ranked Team | Third-Ranked Team |
---|---|---|---|
India | 13 times | – | – |
Pakistan | – | 7 times | 4 times |
Sri Lanka | – | 4 times | 7 times |
Nepal | – | 2 times | – |
Bangladesh | – | – | 2 times |
As of the conclusion of the 2019 South Asian Games. (Updated after doping results)
Rank | NOC | Participated | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | India | 13 | 1263 | 736 | 379 | 2378 |
2 | Pakistan | 13 | 297 | 421 | 432 | 1150 |
3 | Sri Lanka | 13 | 250 | 436 | 681 | 1367 |
4 | Nepal | 13 | 124 | 186 | 380 | 690 |
5 | Bangladesh | 13 | 86 | 210 | 493 | 789 |
6 | Bhutan | 13 | 2 | 23 | 66 | 91 |
7 | Maldives | 13 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 17 |
Former Member | ||||||
Afghanistan1 | 4 | 21 | 28 | 79 | 128 |
Note : Medals not updated in official websites after doping results
Rank | NOC | 1984 | 1985 | 1987 | 1989 | 1991 | 1993 | 1995 | 1999 | 2004 | 2006 | 2010 | 2016 | 2019 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | India | 44 | 28 | 16 | 61 | 32 | 14 | 91 | 45 | 19 | 61 | 43 | 20 | 64 | 59 | 41 | 60 | 46 | 31 | 106 | 60 | 19 | 102 | 58 | 37 | 103 | 57 | 32 | 118 | 69 | 47 | 90 | 55 | 30 | 188 | 92 | 28 | 175 | 92 | 45 |
2 | Pakistan | 5 | 3 | 2 | 21 | 26 | 12 | 16 | 36 | 14 | 42 | 33 | 22 | 28 | 32 | 25 | 23 | 22 | 20 | 10 | 33 | 36 | 10 | 36 | 30 | 38 | 55 | 50 | 43 | 44 | 71 | 19 | 25 | 36 | 12 | 35 | 57 | 30 | 41 | 57 |
3 | Sri Lanka | 7 | 11 | 19 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 7 | 23 | 6 | 10 | 21 | 44 | 34 | 40 | 20 | 22 | 39 | 16 | 25 | 53 | 16 | 42 | 62 | 17 | 32 | 57 | 37 | 63 | 78 | 16 | 35 | 54 | 25 | 64 | 98 | 40 | 84 | 128 |
4 | Nepal | 4 | 12 | 8 | 1 | 9 | 22 | 2 | 7 | 33 | 1 | 13 | 32 | 2 | 8 | 29 | 1 | 6 | 15 | 4 | 8 | 16 | 31 | 10 | 24 | 7 | 6 | 20 | 9 | 15 | 31 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 3 | 23 | 35 | 51 | 60 | 96 |
5 | Bangladesh | 2 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 17 | 38 | 3 | 20 | 31 | 1 | 12 | 24 | 4 | 8 | 28 | 11 | 19 | 32 | 7 | 17 | 34 | 2 | 10 | 35 | 3 | 13 | 24 | 3 | 15 | 34 | 18 | 23 | 56 | 4 | 16 | 55 | 19 | 32 | 89 |
6 | Bhutan | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
7 | Maldives | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
Former Member | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Afghanistan | Not part of SAOC | 1 | 3 | 28 | 6 | 7 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 16 | 7 | 9 | 19 | Not part of SAOC |
Edition | Year | Host City | Host Nation | Top Placed Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
I | 2011 | Hambantota | Sri Lanka | India (IND) |
Edition | Year | Host City/Cities | Host Nation | Top Placed Team |
---|---|---|---|---|
I | 2011 | Dehradun and Auli | India | India (IND) |
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