The 1998

Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years for athletes of Asia. The Games were regulated by Asian Games Federation from the 1951 Asian Games, first Games in New Delhi, India in 1951, until ...

(), officially known as the 13th Asian Games () and the XIII Asiad,, or simply Bangkok 1998 (), were an Asian

multi-sport A multi-sport event is an organized sporting event, often held over multiple days, featuring competition in many different sports among organized teams of athletes from (mostly) Nation state, nation-states. The first major, modern, multi-sport ev ...

event celebrated in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estim ...

, Thailand from December 6 to 20, 1998, with 377 events in 36 sports and disciplines participated by 6,554 athletes across the continent. The sporting events commenced on 30 November 1998, a week earlier than the opening ceremony. It is a last time that the

event would be held in

until the

2007 Summer Universiade The 2007 Summer Universiade officially known as the XXIV Summer Universiade and commonly known as Bangkok Universiade, was an international multi-sport for university athletes that took place from 8 to 18 August 2007 in Bangkok, Thailand, with pr ...

. Bangkok was awarded the right on September 26, 1990, defeating

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

and

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

to host the Games. It was the first city to hosted the Asian Games for four times,but was the first time that the city make a bid to host. The last three editions it hosted were in 1966, 1970 and 1978 (in the latter two cases stepping in to prevent the Games from being cancelled due to problems with the elected hosts). The event was opened by

Bhumibol Adulyadej Bhumibol Adulyadej (5 December 192713 October 2016), titled Rama IX, was King of Thailand from 1946 until Death and funeral of Bhumibol Adulyadej, his death in 2016. His reign of 70 years and 126 days is the longest of any List of Thai mo ...

, the king of Thailand, at the Rajamangala Stadium. The final medal tally was led by

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, followed by

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

and the host

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

. Thailand set a new record with 24 gold medals. Japanese Athletics Koji Ito was announced as the

most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player (MVP) award is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particular competition, or ...

(MVP) of the Games. For Thailand, it was considered one of its remarkable achievement in sports development throughout the country's modern history.

Bidding process

Three cities placed a bid for the Games. All three,

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

(Chinese Taipei),

(Indonesia) and

(Thailand) submitted their formal bid in 1989. It was the first time that Thailand has presented a bid for host the Asian Games, as Bangkok was the default host of previous three games. The vote was held on September 27, 1990, at the China Palace Tower Hotel in

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, China, during the 9th

Olympic Council of Asia The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) is a sports governing body, governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. Talal Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah was elected as President of the OCA on 8 July 2023. However, on 3 ...

(OCA) General Assembly held during the 1990 Asian Games. All 37 members voted, with voting held in secret ballot. It was announced that Bangkok won an Asian Games bid process for the first time. Though the vote results were not released, was leaked to the press that Bangkok won by 20–10–7. Bangkok became the first city to have staged the Asian Games for four editions, following

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 1970 Tonghai earthquake, Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli ...

and

1978 Events January * January 1 – Air India Flight 855, a Boeing 747 passenger jet, crashes off the coast of Bombay, killing 213. * January 5 – Bülent Ecevit, of Republican People's Party, CHP, forms the new government of Turkey (42nd ...

, and this was the first time that the city had put a bid for the event. 19 votes were needed for selection.

Development and preparation

Costs

According to

United Press International United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th ce ...

news report, preparations for the games including the construction and renovation of three main stadiums and an athletes' village, cost an estimated 6 billion

Thai baht The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...

(US$167 million).

Venues

; Bang Kapi district * Rajmangala Stadium (Opening & Closing ceremonies, Football) * Indoor Stadium (Sepak Takraw) * Velodrome (Cycling track) * Shooting Range (Shooting) * Clay Target Shooting Range (Clay Target Shooting) ; Muang Thong Thani *

IMPACT Arena The Impact Arena () is a multi-purpose indoor arena located in the Impact, Muang Thong Thani commercial complex in Pak Kret, Nonthaburi, Thailand, north of Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakho ...

: * Hall 1-5 (Boxing, Billiards & Snooker, Gymnastics, Volleyball) * Thunder Dome (Weightlifting) * SCG Stadium (Rugby, Football) * Tennis Centre (Tennis,Soft Tennis) ;

Thammasat University Thammasat University (TU; ; , ) is a public university, public research university in Thailand with campuses in the Tha Phra Chan area of Bangkok, Rangsit, Pattaya and Lampang Province. , Thammasat University has over 39,000 students enrolled in ...

(Rangsit Campus) * Main Stadium (Athletics and Football) * Gymnasium 1 (Basketball, Judo, Wrestling) * Gymnasium 2 (Badminton) * Gymnasium 3 (Handball) * Gymnasium 4 (Fencing) * Gymnasium 5 (Table Tennis) * Gymnasium 6 (Wushu) * Gymnasium 7 (Karate, Taekwondo) * Tennis Court (Soft Tennis) * Field 1 (Archery) * Field 2 (Softball) * Aquatic Center (Aquatics) * Athletes Village ;Other venues ;

and Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya *

Kasetsart University Kasetsart University (; ; commonly Kaset or KU) is a public university, public research university in Bangkok, Thailand. It is the largest university in Thailand. It was Thailand's first agriculture, agricultural university and Thailand's third ...

(Hockey) * PS Bowling Bangkapi (Bowling) * Suphachalasai Stadium (Football) *

Thai Army Sports Stadium The Royal Thai Army Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road in the Phaya Thai of north Bangkok, Thailand. It is currently used mostly for football matches. The stadium holds 20,000 and has a single stand with covered sea ...

(Rugby) *

Thai-Japanese Stadium The Thai-Japanese Stadium (Japanese language, Japanese: タイ・ジャパニーズ・スタジアム; ), also called Thai-Japanese Bangkok Youth Center (, is a multi-purpose stadium in Din Daeng, Bangkok, Thailand. It is currently used mostly ...

(Football) * Thupatemee Stadium (Football) ;

Chiang Mai Chiang Mai, sometimes written as Chiengmai or Chiangmai, is the largest city in northern Thailand, the capital of Chiang Mai province and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, second largest city in Thailan ...

700th Anniversary Stadium The 700th Anniversary of Chiang Mai Stadium () is a multi-purpose stadium in Chiang Mai, Chiang Mai Province, Thailand, built to host the 1995 Southeast Asian Games and to commemorate the 700th anniversary of Chiang Mai's establishment at the ...

(Football) ;

Chonburi Chonburi (, , IAST: , ) is the capital of Chonburi Province and, as part of the district Mueang Chonburi District, Mueang Chonburi, the List of municipalities in Thailand, seventh-largest city in Thailand. It is about 100 km southeast of Ba ...

* Ambassador Sport Center (Squash) * Ao-Dongtarn Jomtien Beach (Sailing) * Jomtien Beach (Beach Volleyball) * Map Prachan Reservoir (Canoeing, Rowing) ;

Nakhon Nayok Nakhon Nayok is a capital of Nakhon Nayok province in the central region of Thailand. The town ('' thesaban mueang'') covers Nakhon Nayok subdsitrict (''tambon'') and parts of Tha Chang, Ban Yai, Wang Krachom, and Phrommani subdistricts, Mueang ...

* Srinakharinwirot University (Ongkarak Campus) (Handball, Softball, Kabaddi) ;

Nakhon Ratchasima Nakhon Ratchasima (, ) is the capital of Nakhon Ratchasima province, the largest city in Isan, Northeastern Thailand and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, third-largest city in Thailand. It is 250 km (1 ...

* Khao Yai Rimtarn Resort (Cycling Mountain bike) * Phahonyothin Road – (Cycling Road) ; Nakhon Sawan * Nakhon Sawan Province Central Stadium (Football) ; Pathum Thani * Alpine Golf and Sports Club (Golf) * Queen Sirikit Sport Complex (Baseball, Hockey preliminaries) ; Saraburi * Fort Adhisorn Riding Club (Equestrian) ;

Sisaket Sisaket (, , ; Northern Khmer dialect, Northern Khmer: ) is a Thesaban#Town municipality, town municipality in Isan, northeast Thailand, incorporating Mueang Nuea and Mueang Tai Subdistricts and parts of Cham, Nong Khrok, Pho, Phon kha, and Ya P ...

* Sisaket Province Central Stadium (Football) ;

Songkhla Songkhla (, ), also known as Singgora or Singora (Kelantan-Pattani Malay, Pattani Malay: ซิงกอรอ, Singoro), is a city (''thesaban nakhon'') in Songkhla Province of southern Thailand, near the border with Malaysia. Songkhla lies ...

* Suwannawong Gymnasium,

Hat Yai Hat Yai (, , also Haad Yai or Had Yai) is a city in southern Thailand near the Malaysian border and the List of municipalities in Thailand#Largest cities by urban population, fifth-largest city in Thailand with a population of 191,696 (2024) in ...

(Sepak Takraw) * Tinasulanon Stadium (Football) ; Suphan Buri * Municipal Gymnasium (Basketball) * Suphan Buri Province Central Stadium (Football) ; Surat Thani * Surat Thani Province Central Stadium (Football) ; Trang * Trang Province Central Stadium (Football) * Municipal Gymnasium (Sepak Takraw)

Marketing

Emblem

The official emblem of the games combines elements from Thai

stupa In Buddhism, a stupa (, ) is a domed hemispherical structure containing several types of sacred relics, including images, statues, metals, and '' śarīra''—the remains of Buddhist monks or nuns. It is used as a place of pilgrimage and m ...

s and

pagoda A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but some ...

s, the letter "A", which means either "Asia" or "Athletes", and the logo of the

. It symbolises the knowledge, intelligence and athletic prowess of Thailand.

Mascot

The official

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, sports team, university society, society, military unit, or brand, brand name. Mascots are als ...

of the games is an

elephant Elephants are the largest living land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant ('' Loxodonta africana''), the African forest elephant (''L. cyclotis''), and the Asian elephant ('' Elephas maximus ...

named Chai-Yo (),

the equivalent The Equivalent was a sum negotiated at £398,085 10s. 0d. () paid to Scotland by the English Government under the terms of the Acts of Union 1707. Proposals for it first emerged in the course of abortive Union negotiations in 1702 to 1703. The E ...

of "hurrah" in Thai. Elephants are known and admired among Thais for their strength and nobility.

The Games

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony started at 17:00 local time on December 6, 1998. It was attended by

King of Thailand The monarchy of Thailand is the constitutional monarchy, constitutional form of government of Thailand (formerly ''Siam''). The king of Thailand (, historically, ''king of Siam''; ) is the head of state and head of the ruling Chakri dynasty. ...

President of the International Olympic Committee The president of the International Olympic Committee is head of the executive board that assumes the general overall responsibility for the administration of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the management of its affairs. The IOC E ...

Juan Antonio Samaranch Juan Antonio Samaranch y Torelló, 1st Marquess of Samaranch ( Catalan: ''Joan Antoni Samaranch i Torelló'', ; 17 July 1920 – 21 April 2010) was a Spanish sports administrator under the Franco regime (1973–1977) who served as the seventh ...

and President of the OCA Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah. The nations entered in alphabetic order of their country names in Thai during the parade of nations.

Participating nations

National Olympic Committees (NOCs) are named according to their official IOC designations and arranged according to their official IOC country codes in 1998. boycotted using the argument that the event was being held during

Ramadan Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar. It is observed by Muslims worldwide as a month of fasting (''Fasting in Islam, sawm''), communal prayer (salah), reflection, and community. It is also the month in which the Quran is believed ...

, but latter was discovered that the real motive of the action the tense diplomatic relations between Thailand who were deteriorated by the Blue Diamond Affair. However, a Saudi representative still paraded in the Opening Ceremony.

Number of athletes by National Olympic Committees (by highest to lowest)

Sports

* Aquatics ** (4) ** (32) ** (2) ** (1) * (4) * (45) * (7) * (1) * (2) * (10) * (12) * (12) * (10) * (15) * (6) * (10) * (2) * (2) * (4) * (16) * (2) * (14) * (1) * (11) * (11) * (2) * (16) * (6) * (34) * (1) * (4) * (2) * (7) * (16) * (7) *Volleyball ** (2) ** (2) * (15) * (16) * (11) Demonstration * (2) * (11)

Medal table

The top ten ranked NOCs at these Games are listed below. The host nation, Thailand, is highlighted.

References

External links

1998 Asian Games official website (archived)

1998 Asian Games result system (archived)

Asian Games Language Selection Site (archived)
{{Events at the 1998 Asian Games 1998 in Thailand 1990s in sport in Bangkok 1998 in Bangkok

Summer Summer or summertime is the hottest and brightest of the four temperate seasons, occurring after spring and before autumn. At or centred on the summer solstice, daylight hours are the longest and darkness hours are the shortest, with day ...

Asian Games by year