Sports in Asia
[4] Top sporting nations/regions in Asia include China, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
[11] Competitions on horseback were common, with the Central Asian-origin Mughal Empire having played a role in bringing equestrianism into South Asia;[12] tent pegging was played throughout western and southern parts of Asia,[13] while modern polo was standardised from earlier forms of the game found in British India, which were similar to the ancient polo played in other parts of Asia.
[14] American colonisation and Christian missionary activities introduced basketball into the Philippines and China, where it became one of their most popular sports.
[17][18] Similar phenomena factored into the massive growth of other Western sports in parts of Asia that experienced European colonisation.
[19][20] After the colonial era ended, Western sports played a significant role in nation-building and connecting different Asian countries together; cricket allowed India to unify its diverse people and conduct "cricket diplomacy" to cool tensions with its neighbor Pakistan,[21][22] while the Asian Games, inspired in part by the post-colonial vision of India's first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, went on to become one of the biggest sporting events in the world.
[23][24][25] Table tennis, backed by the Chinese Communist Party as a cheap sport the developing nation could excel in at a global level, became very popular in China.
Major contending nations are China, Japan, Philippines, Iran, South Korea and Taiwan.
China has dominated the FIBA Asia Championship since the 1970s while the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan and Iran continues to be strong contenders.
The main tournament for Asian basketball clubs is the FIBA Asia Champions Cup, held since 1981.
The most successful Asian countries in international men's competitions have been Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea, Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei, Macau and Mongolia in East, and Iran, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Oman, Syria, Bahrain, Lebanon, Palestine, Kuwait and Yemen in West, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Maldives, Nepal and Bhutan in South, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Afghanistan in Central, and Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos in South East.
President Tsakhiagiin Elbegdorj invited the Mongolian national team after its bronze medal in Division B of the 2017 World Championship.
Both Division B of the men's tournament 2018 and 2018 Women's World Championship (in which Japan plan to debut) will be played in China, which will be the first time either tournament is held in a totally Asian country (the area north and west of the Ural River is located in Europe, thus Kazakhstan, where the 2012 World Championship was held, is a transcontinental country).
Over 50 Japanese-born players have played in Major League Baseball, including Ichiro Suzuki, Hideki Matsui, Koji Uehara and Hideo Nomo.
Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines is considered as one of the most successful boxers in history, and is currently the only octuple champion in the sport.
Moreover, Indonesia and Japan, previously in ICC East Asia-Pacific, applied for membership in the Asian Cricket Council in 2024.
Various nations have produced world champions, predominantly from the Philippines, India, Taiwan, Japan and Hong Kong.
Filipino players are known for their exceptional mastery of the game and innovative strategies that have revolutionized the way the sport is played.
[43] Field hockey is a popular sport in India and Pakistan, and both nations are known for their fierce rivalry.
In contrast, many Asian female golf players have enjoyed success on the leading LPGA Tour, with those from South Korea and Taiwan becoming a dominant force in the sport.
Several have claimed major tournament wins, most notably Inbee Park (seven), Se Ri Pak (five), Yani Tseng (five) and Jiyai Shin (two).
Notable men's golf tournaments in Asia include the WGC-HSBC Champions (China), Zozo Championship (Japan), CJ Cup (South Korea), CIMB Classic (Malaysia), DP World Tour Championship, Dubai, Dubai Desert Classic, Abu Dhabi Golf Championship, (United Arab Emirates), and Saudi International (Saudi Arabia).
The country has hosted several international races, such as the Japanese Grand Prix (Formula One), 6 Hours of Fuji (FIA World Endurance Championship), Japanese motorcycle Grand Prix (Grand Prix motorcycle racing), Suzuka 8 Hours (FIM Endurance World Championship), Rally Japan (World Rally Championship), FIA WTCC Race of Japan (World Touring Car Championship), Indy Japan 300 (IndyCar Series), NASCAR Thunder 100 and Coca-Cola 500 (NASCAR Cup Series).
Other notable Asian table tennis countries include Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, and Taiwan.
In men's singles, Kei Nishikori was finalist at the 2014 US Open and two ATP Masters 1000 tournaments, whereas Vijay Amritraj reached quarter-finals at four Grand Slams and was semifinalist at the 1982 WCT Finals.
Rohan Bopanna won his first mixed doubles grand slam title at the 2017 French Open.
Notable women's doubles players include, Ai Sugiyama, Hsieh Su-wei, Peng Shuai and Zheng Jie.
[48] The three most successful countries at the Olympic Games are China (winners in 2008 and runners-up in 2004, 2012, and 2020), Japan (third in 1964, 1968, and 2020) and South Korea (fourth in 1988 and fifth in 2010 and 2012).
Asian countries have dominated judo, taekwondo, badminton and table tennis, while they have also been successful in archery, diving, gymnastics and weightlifting.
However, Israeli sports officials contend that it was due to Arab and Chinese opposition to their participation.
Some Asian countries compete at the Commonwealth Games, most notably India (4th in all-time medals), Malaysia (11th), Singapore (13th) and Pakistan (15th).
