The Asian Games were almost held in Seoul in 1970?

The Asian Games were almost held in Seoul in 1970? [Aha, Hangzhou]

The Hangzhou Games are the third Asian Games to be held in China, following Beijing (1990) and Guangzhou (2010). Then, how many Asian Games have been held in Korea. As expected, it's number three. It was held in Seoul (1986), Busan (2002), and Incheon (2014). However, looking back in time, the Asian Games were almost held first in Seoul in 1970. It was selected as the venue in December 1966 and returned in March 1968.

There was a reason. At that time, the Seoul Metropolitan Government engaged in various construction industries such as the construction of overpasses, the construction of civic apartments, and the construction of Sewoon Shopping Center, which was under severe financial pressure. On top of that, it is expected that the Seoul Metropolitan Government will go bankrupt if it plays the Asian Games. This is because more Gyeonggi facilities were needed.

Crucially, in January 1968, the Kim Shin-jo incident (a case in which 31 armed soldiers from North Korea's 124th unit raided the Blue House and attempted to remove then-President Park Chung-hee) caused security problems. There have also been concerns that some socialist countries may miss the Seoul Asian Games for political reasons. In the end, the Korean Olympic Committee paid a fine ($200,000) and gave up its right to host the event. At that time, $200,000 was quite a lot of money.

The Asian Games Federation later proposed Japan to host the event, but Japan refused, citing the Osaka World Expo (1970). Afterwards, the Asian Games Federation decided through an executive committee meeting to hold consecutive Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand, the venue of the previous tournament (1966). The necessary budget will be covered by donations from the Asian Games Federation member countries, most of which were paid by oil-producing countries.

Thailand also took charge of hosting the 1978 Asian Games. It was originally scheduled to be held in Islamabad, Pakistan, but the venue was changed to Bangkok because Pakistan was in conflict with India and Bangladesh. Bangkok has hosted four Asian Games (1966, 1970, 1978, and 1998) or the Asian Games (excluding the Winter Asian Games), the most among Asian countries.

Meanwhile, the 2026 Asian Games will be held in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, and Nagoya City (September 19 to October 4), the location of the prefectural government office. It is the third time in history that the Summer Asian Games have been held in Japan (the Winter Asian Games have been held four times), and it is the first time in 32 years since the 1994 Hiroshima Games. The Asian Games will be held in Doha, Qatar, in 2030 and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in 2034. It will be held in Arab countries for the second consecutive tournament, and the power of oil money has increased. On the other hand, in South Asia, including India, no Asian Games have been held since the 1982 New Delhi Games in India. In 2005, New Delhi, India, sought to host the 2014 tournament, but was eliminated in the final competition with Incheon. 토토