| Abbreviation | AWG |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1986 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo, Japan |
| Recurrence | Four years |
| Last | 2025 Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China |
| Next | 2029 Asian Winter Games in Almaty, Kazakhstan |
| Purpose | Multi-sport event for nations on the Asian continent |
The Asian Winter Games (AWG) is an international multi-sport event held every four years for members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) featuring winter events. The Japanese Olympic Committee first suggested creating a winter version of the Asian Games in 1982. Their efforts were rewarded when they received hosting rights for the first edition, held in Sapporo in 1986, as the city had the infrastructure and expertise gained from hosting of the 1972 Winter Olympics.
From having only seven OCA member nations participate in the first edition, the number of competing nations in the Winter Asiad has grown consistently. In the 2007 Asian Winter Games in Changchun, 27 out of the 45 members fielded a record number of competitors, while all 45 National Olympic Committees sent delegations for the first time in AWG history.
Although games were considered for Lebanon in 2009, they were ultimately cancelled.[1] The next edition is scheduled to be held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
List of Asian Winter Games
| Edition | Year | Host city | Host nation | Opened by | Start date | End date | Nations | Competitors | Sports | Events | Top-placed team | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1986 | Sapporo | Japan | Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah[a] | 1 March | 8 March | 7 | 293 | 7 | 35 | Japan | [2] |
| 2 | 1990 | Sapporo | Japan | Emperor Akihito | 9 March | 14 March | 9 | 310 | 6 | 33 | Japan | [3] |
| 3 | 1996 | Harbin | China | President Jiang Zemin | 4 February | 11 February | 17 | 453 | 8 | 43 | China | [4] |
| 4 | 1999 | Gangwon | South Korea | President Kim Dae-jung | 30 January | 6 February | 14 | 798 | 7 | 43 | China | [5] |
| 5 | 2003 | Aomori | Japan | Crown Prince Naruhito[b] | 1 February | 8 February | 17 | 641 | 11 | 51 | Japan | [6] |
| 6 | 2007 | Changchun | China | President Hu Jintao | 28 January | 4 February | 25 | 796 | 10 | 47 | China | [7] |
| 7 | 2011 | Astana and Almaty | Kazakhstan | President Nursultan Nazarbayev | 30 January | 6 February | 26 | 843 | 11 | 69 | Kazakhstan | [8] |
| 8 | 2017 | Sapporo and Obihiro | Japan | Crown Prince Naruhito[b] | 19 February | 26 February | 32 | 1,147 | 11 | 64 | Japan | [9] |
| 9 | 2025 | Harbin | China | President Xi Jinping | 7 February | 14 February | 34 | 1,222 | 11 | 64 | China | [10] |
| 10 | 2029 | Almaty | Kazakhstan | TBD |
- At the 2017 Games, the Olympic Council of Asia invited athletes from Oceania. Two countries from the region (Australia and New Zealand) accepted the invitation and their athletes competed along with 30 NOCs from Asia.
Sports
|
Medal count
As of 2025, the 34 National Olympic Committees have participated throughout the history of the Games.[11] Only China, Japan, and South Korea have won at least one gold medal at every Asian Winter Games, while Japan, China, and Kazakhstan became the only three countries in history to emerge as the first places at the medal tables.[12]
See also
Notes
- ^ Representing Hirohito, Emperor of Japan.
- ^ Representing Akihito, Emperor of Japan.
References
- ^ "The skiers of Lebanon". The Sydney Morning Herald. 2005-06-04. Archived 2023-07-09 at the Wayback Machine.
- ^ "1st AWG Sapporo 1986". Olympic Council of Asia. Retrieved 22 July 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "2nd AWG Sapporo 1990". Olympic Council of Asia. Retrieved 22 July 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "3rd AWG Harbin 1996". Olympic Council of Asia. Retrieved 22 July 2010.[dead link]
- ^ "4th AWG Gangwon 1999". Olympic Council of Asia. Archived from the original on 2010-06-13. Retrieved 22 July 2010.
- ^ "5th AWG Aomori 2003". Olympic Council of Asia. Archived from the original on 2011-12-08. Retrieved 1 February 2003.
- ^ "6th AWG Changchun 2007". Olympic Council of Asia. Archived from the original on 2011-05-22. Retrieved 28 January 2007.
- ^ "7th AWG Astana-Almaty 2011". Olympic Council of Asia. Archived from the original on 2010-11-08. Retrieved 30 January 2011.
- ^ "8th AWG Sapporo 2017". Olympic Council of Asia. Archived from the original on 2010-11-07. Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ^ Pang, Damon. "President Xi declares 2025 Asian Winter Games open - RTHK". news.rthk.hk. Retrieved 2025-02-12.
- ^ "HAWGOC confirms record entry of NOCs, athletes for Harbin 2025". www.oca.asia/. Olympic Council of Asia. 21 January 2025. Archived 23 January 2025 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 21 January 2025.
- ^ "Asian Winter Games 1986". oca.asia. Retrieved 2025-02-14.