Asian Game: How it came about
EDDIE G. ALINEA
Before the Asian Games were held among the best athletes in the region, a tripartite meet known as the Far Eastern Championship Games existed among Japan, the Philippines and China. The First Far Eastern Games (FEG) was first held in Manila in 1913 with six participating nations. Ten more Far Eastern Games were held until 1934.
Against the backdrop of the second Sino-Japanese War in 1934, and in the face of Japan’s insistence on including the Manchu Empire as a competitor nation in the Games, China announced its withdrawal from participation. Consequently, the FEG scheduled for 1938 were eventually cancelled.
It took the prime movers 14 years to organize the Asian Games Federation and three more years to gather the finest competitors this part of the world to compete in what is now known as the Asian Games.
From 1934, when the biennial FEG were discontinued, several attempts were made to organize a new federation to no avail. It was during the 1948 staging the Olympic Games in London when a truly concrete move was made for the purpose.
It was exactly 70 year ago on Saturday, August 11 when, on that day in 1948, a the sub-committee created three days earlier by representatives from five countries drew up the AGF Constitution and By-Laws at a meeting held at the Mount Hotel room of Philippine Amateur Athletic Federation president Jorge Vargas, who chaired the panel composed also of K. C. Synn of the Korean Olympic Committee and G.D. Sondhi of the Indian Olympic Association and Prof. Candido Bartolome, also of the PAAF.
The Philippine delegation marching during the opening ceremonies of the First Asian Games in 1951 in New Delhi. PHOTO FROM EDDIE ALINEA’S FILE
Vargas before enplaning to London as head of the Philippine delegation to the Olympics, had, actually, all the plans to revive the Far Eastern Athletic Association and include in is membership other nations of the East. Upon reaching London, he invited he representatives of the different Asian countries tending the 14th edition of the Summer Games, precisely to discuss the formation of a new regional association.
It so happened that India was also nursing the idea of enlarging the Western Asian Games Federation. Like Mr. Vargas, Mr. Sondhi invited members of the WEAG for the formation of the Asian Athletic Association that aimed to encourage deep understanding, promote goodwill and foster closer relationship among Asian nations through participation in athletics.
Present in the meeting were officials of the national delegations of Asian countries attending the Olympics: Ching Han Pun, president of the Korean Amateur Athletic Association; Synn; Gunson Hoh, secretary general of China National Amateur Athletic Federation; Thaw Zin of Burma Olympic Association; W.H.D. Perera, secretary general of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) Olympic Association; Sondhi; A. G. Das of Indian Olympic Association; Vargas, Simeon Toribio and Candido Bartolome, all of The PAAF.
The sub-committee, headed by Vargas was tasked of charting the constitution and by-laws of the proposed federation
It was also in said meeting that the name of the association was changed to Asian Games Federation, staging of a quadrennial meet beginning in 1950 in track and field, swimming, tennis, baseball, hockey, basketball, volleyball, football, boxing and wrestling.
The proposed federation charter was approved during an invitational meet to be held in New Delhi on February 1949. Elected officers were His Highness Majaraja Yadavindra Singh, president; Vargas, vice president; and Sondhi secretary-treasurer
Hosting the First Games of 1951 was given to New Delhi. During the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, the Games of 1954 was awarded to Manila, Tokyo earned the right for the Games of 1958.
In the 1954 Asiad, Vargas took The AGF helm a president. Dr. Regino Ylanan was named honorary secretary-treasurer; Antonio de las Alas, chair of the organizing committee; Victor Buencamino, vie chair and Prof. Candido Bartolome, executive secretary.
The Philippines never had he chance to host the Asiad since then.
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