Asian Games 2022: 40 sports to feature, cricket to be back after 11 years

Mumbai: The 2022 Asian Games will take place from September 10 to September 25, 2022, in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China and there will be five co-host cities.

The multi-sporting event will feature 40 sports with a total of 61 disciplines, including Olympic sports like swimming, archery, athletics, badminton, equestrian, fencing, football, hockey, judo, kabaddi, and much more.

E-sports and breakdancing will debut in the 2022 Asian Games as full medal sports after being approved by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) this year, while Cricket will be back at Asian Games in T20 format to raise the excitement of the viewers.

India is a member of the South Asian Zone of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and one of the only seven countries that have competed in all the editions of the Asian Games.

India has won at least one gold medal at every Asian Games and always ranked within the top 10 nations of the medal table, except in the 1990 edition. So far, India has won 139 gold, 178 silver, and 299 bronze medals at the Asian Games and will look to significantly increase the medal tally this year.

For the first time ever, more than 300 athletes from Oceania countries have been given the chance to compete at this year's 19th edition of the Asian Games. The Oceania athletes, including those from Australia and New Zealand, will be allowed to compete in five sports: triathlon, athletics, wushu, roller skating, and weightlifting.

Sony Pictures Networks India, (SPN), has acquired the exclusive rights for the 2022 Asian Games from November 2021 to September 2023. This association will give SPN exclusive rights to broadcast the 19th edition of the Asian Games on its sports channels across India and the subcontinent including Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Afghanistan, Bhutan, and the Maldives. The tournament will also be available on the OTT platform, SonyLIV.