The 2022 Asian Games, held in Hangzhou, China, commenced on September 23rd and will conclude on October 8th, 2023. This prestigious Asian sporting competition is the 19th edition since its inception in 1951.
The 2022 Asian Games were postponed for a year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Throughout its history, only two countries have won the overall championship title: China and Japan. The overall champion is determined by the country with the most gold medals in a single Asian Games edition.
China has won the overall championship 10 times, consecutively from the ninth to the eighteenth editions (1982, 1986, 1990, 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018).
Japan has won eight overall championships, consecutively from the first to the eighth editions (1951, 1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974, and 1978).
Here is a list of overall Asian Games champions from 1951 to 2018:
* 1951: Japan
* 1954: Japan
* 1958: Japan
* 1962: Japan
* 1966: Japan
* 1970: Japan
* 1974: Japan
* 1978: Japan
* 1982: China
* 1986: China
* 1990: China
* 1994: China
* 1998: China
* 2002: China
* 2006: China
* 2010: China
* 2014: China
* 2018: China