Over 12,000 athletes will attend the Asian Games. More than 370 of them are from Uzbekistan.

The opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Summer Games, known as the “Little Olympics”, will take place today, September 23.

More than 12,000 athletes from 45 countries are participating in this year’s Asian Games, which gathers the most significant number of participants.

This means more than 1,000 participants in games organized in Indonesia in 2018. Indonesian sports fields gathered 11,300 Asian athletes.

During the Asian Games, the competitions to advance to the Paris 2024 Olympics in 9 sports testify to the intensity and prestige of the Hangzhou 2022 Games.

So, which country and how many athletes will participate in the Hangzhou 2022 Games? What are the chances of the Uzbekistan sports delegation winning the competition? What is the reflected quality factor?

China has announced that 886 athletes will compete for medals at the continental games held at their home stadiums. According to the official information, the Organizing Committee has registered a team of 1,239 athletes, coaches, and specialists for the Asian Games, including all support staff.

It was noted that the average age of Chinese athletes participating in the Asian Games is 25, with 13 and 60-year-olds among them.

South Korea is competing with the most significant sports delegation in the history of the Asian Games – 867 athletes.

The Japanese sports team, a contender for the leadership of the Asian Games, is starting the competition with about 1,100 athletes at the continental games, which are being held a year later.

North Korea, banned from international sports competitions for three years, sent about 200 athletes to the games held in Chinese sports fields. The Indian sports delegation confirmed that it prepared 634 athletes for the 19th Asian Games.

The Asian Games program is so extensive that more athletes participate than in the Olympics. The number of athletes participating in the XXXII Summer Olympic Games organized in Tokyo in 2021 was 11,656 from 205 countries, while the participants of the Hangzhou 2022 Games are 12,417.

474 medals of the Asian Games will be played in 61 disciplines in 40 sports. 28 of them are Olympic and 12 non-Olympic sports. 381 medals correspond to Olympic sports, 93 to non-Olympic sports.

Kazakhstan announced it will participate in the games with 525 athletes in 33 sports. This is the record composition of a neighboring country’s delegation at the Asian Games.

289 athletes from Iran, 240 from Bangladesh, 681 from Hong Kong, 320 from Vietnam, 415 from Indonesia, 431 from Singapore, 180 from Qatar, 395 from the Philippines, and 222 athletes from Pakistan have applied for participation in the Hangzhou 2022 Games. Of course, this list can be continued. However, the difference between the number of sports teams and the quality indicator is decisive in the fight for medals at the Games.

Uzbekistan sports delegation with over 370 athletes from 38 sports is participating in the “Little Olympics”. They will defend the country’s honor in 32 Olympic and 6 non-Olympic sports.

Uzbekistan’s sports delegation lags behind some teams in terms of numbers, but managed to surpass countries like Iran, Vietnam, Pakistan, and Qatar.

Although the sports teams of China, Japan, South Korea, India, and Kazakhstan are already making their predictions about claiming the prize places of the continental games, they interpret the athletes of Uzbekistan at the level of the main rivals in many sports.

Another unique aspect of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games for Uzbekistan is that through the wrestling competitions, which are an integral part of our national values, athletes of the continent will compete in wrestling costumes inspired by the country’s flag under the guidance of Uzbek sports expressions. This means that Uzbekistan’s flag will be a unique decoration of the Asian Games.

The number of teams in the uncompromising continental competition, which will last until October 8 this year, can affect the number of medals. However, professionalism, skill, and tactical-technical approach will undoubtedly be the main success factors in the debates where the quality indicator is primary.

Considering the same aspects, we hope Uzbekistan athletes and teams will ensure new victories for New Uzbekistan. For this, Uzbekistan has created all the conditions and facilities for its athletes, so being worthy of trust is considered the most essential task of the country’s sports delegation.

Tulqin Ruziyev, UzA