The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Friday announced that the XIX Asian Games, to be held in Hangzhou, China, from 10 to 25 September, has been postponed due to rising COVID-19 cases in the country.
The 2022 programme includes 61 disciplines in 40 sports, including baseball/softball. The e-sports programme will consist of eight medal events and two demonstration events.
The new dates for the Asian Games will be announced by OCA at a later stage.
"The Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee has been very well prepared to deliver the Games on time despite global challenges. However, the above decision was taken by all the stakeholders after carefully considering the pandemic situation and the size of the Games," the OCA stated.
The Asian Games' inaugural edition was in New Delhi, India, in 1951. Fifty-one sports, spanning 39 different disciplines and nearly 400 events, have been part of the Asia Games programme at one point or another in the 18 editions. Softball first appeared on the programme in 1990, while baseball made its debut in 1994.
