[Asian Games] China's Dominance Intensifies... South Korea Narrows Gap Only with Japan

China's Gold Medals Double Combined Total of Korea and Japan
Korea Ranks 3rd for 2nd Consecutive Time... Feeling Weakened International Competitiveness
Strong Performance in Fencing, Swimming, Archery... Poor Results in Shooting, Judo

The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games concluded with China's dominant performance. As of the closing ceremony on the 8th, China had won 201 gold medals, 111 silver medals, and 71 bronze medals. Since overtaking Japan to claim first place at the 1982 New Delhi Games, China has maintained its position for 41 years. It also broke its own record for the most gold medals ever won at a single Asian Games, previously set at 199 golds in 2010, by two medals. The total number of medals won by second-place Japan (52 gold, 67 silver, 69 bronze) and third-place Korea (42 gold, 59 silver, 89 bronze) combined is less than half of China's haul. It is no exaggeration to say that Korea and Japan played supporting roles in what was essentially a 'China National Sports Festival.'

Chinese players who won the gold medal in the women's volleyball event at the Hangzhou Asian Games are cheering.
[Image source=AFP Yonhap News]

Korea won more than seventy gold medals at the 2010 Guangzhou Games and the 2014 Incheon Games, but the number dropped significantly to the forties over the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games and this edition. Korea failed to overcome challenges such as a shortage of athletes and weakened international competitiveness, finishing third for two consecutive Games. Considering that Japan sent mostly second-tier athletes to focus on next year's Paris Summer Olympics, the results are disappointing. Japan's performance did not improve either; the number of gold medals dropped by more than twenty from the 65 golds (along with 56 silver and 74 bronze) won at the Jakarta-Palembang Games.

Most of the gold medals that Korea and Japan failed to secure went to China. Forty-five National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in this Games, but China monopolized 42% of the total 481 gold medals. China showed unstoppable momentum in many medal-rich events such as athletics (19 golds), swimming (28 golds), diving (10 golds), shooting (16 golds), and rowing (11 golds). Japan collected ten gold medals only in track cycling events and won medals evenly across other sports.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Korea, secretly aiming to reclaim second place, had to be satisfied with narrowing the gap with Japan. Five years ago, Korea was short by twenty-six gold medals; this time, the difference was ten. Korea performed well in fencing (6 golds), swimming (6 golds), archery (4 golds), and taekwondo (5 golds). It also won two gold medals in badminton, which had been a medal-less disappointment five years ago. Korea contributed in new sports such as e-sports (2 golds), maintaining a gold medal streak on all but one day over the sixteen-day event. However, Korea reaffirmed harsh realities in shooting (2 golds), judo, soft tennis (1 gold each), wrestling, and boxing (no golds). Korea also felt the high barriers in team ball sports other than men's soccer and baseball.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Meanwhile, North Korea, which had been sanctioned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for unilaterally withdrawing from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, returned to international multi-sport events after five years and ranked 10th. North Korea won 11 gold medals, 18 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals. This was two more medals than at the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, making up for the absence. India achieved its best-ever gold medal count (28 golds) and ranked 4th, thanks to strong performances in shooting (7 golds), archery (5 golds), and athletics (6 golds). Uzbekistan (22 golds), Taiwan (19 golds), Iran (13 golds), Thailand, and Bahrain (12 golds each) followed in order.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.