2002 Asian Games


The 2002 Asian Games, also known as the XIV Asian Games, were an international multi-sport event held in Busan, South Korea from September 29 to October 14, 2002 with the football event commenced 2 days before the opening ceremony.
Busan is the second city in South Korea, after Seoul in 1986 to host the Games. This was the second time South Korea hosted the event. A total of 419 events in 38 sports were contested by 7,711 athletes from 44 countries. The Games were also co-hosted by its four neighbouring cities: Ulsan, Changwon, Masan and Yangsan. It was opened by President of South Korea, Kim Dae-jung, at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium.
The final medal tally was led by China, followed by host South Korea and Japan. South Korea set a new record with 95 gold medals. 22 world records, 43 Asian records were broken during the Games. In addition, Japanese Swimming Kosuke Kitajima was announced as the most valuable player of the Games.

Bidding process

Busan was selected over Kaohsiung at the 14th Olympic Council of Asia General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea on 23 May 1995. After the major upset, Taiwan expressed its disappointment and staged a protest, claimed that the selection of Busan was due to pressure from China, which the OCA officials denied.

Development and preparations

Costs

A total of US$2.9 billion was spent for the games.

Marketing

Emblem

The emblem of the Games is a motif of East sea blue waves in the shape of Taegeuk, symbolising Busan and Korea. It expresses the image of development and unity of the Asian people and the two dynamic powers that are closely intertwined. The wave's shape in the emblem indicates the character B, the first character of Busan.

Mascot

The mascot of the 2002 Asian Games is a Sea gull, the city bird of Busan named "Duria", whose name is a combination of the two words 'Durative' and 'Asia', which means "You and Me Together" or Everlasting Asia in the Korean language, which expresses the ideal of the Games: to promote harmony, friendship and prosperity among Asian countries. Its thick black ink and free line expression, symbolize Korean traditional culture, while its white colour shade representing the image of a powerful spirit and the great hopes for Asia in the 21st century.

Medals

The medal of the games featured the Korean traditional octagonal building, Palgagjeong top view design with the old Olympic Council of Asia logo on the obverse and Busan Asia Games Flame, logo, and Oryukdo scenery on the reverse. The design represents solidarity of membership and eternity of OCA, Busan as host of the games and youth, unity, and friendship of the athletes.

Music

In conjunction with the Games, eight songs were released as the official music for the Games:
The relay itself started at 11 a.m on 5 September 2002 when two flames were simultaneously lit at Hallasan in South Korea and Paektu Mountain, the Korean peninsula’s highest mountain, in North Korea. 42 flames in other participating nations were also lit at the same time. The two Korean flames were unified into one at Imjingak Pavilion near the truce village of Panmunjeom on 7 September 2002 and was dubbed the Unification flame. After that, a nationwide torch relay totaled a distance of 4,294 kilometres in 23 days was held. The relay passed through 904 districts in 16 cities within the country. The Unification flame joined with the flames of 42 other participating nations during the opening ceremony on 29 September 2002 and became the Asian Games flame. The torch design was based on a Korean traditional music instrument called Taepyeongso.

Venues

42 competition venues were used in the Games with twelve of them are newly built, including the Asiad Sports Complex which was completed on 31 July 2000. Other venues included an athletes' village and a main press centre.
;Asiad Sports Complex
VenueEventsCapacity
Busan Asiad StadiumAthletics, Football, Opening and closing ceremonies
Sajik Swimming PoolAquatics
Sajik GymnasiumBasketball, Gymnastics
Sajik Baseball StadiumBaseball

;Gangseo Sports Park
VenueEventsCapacity
Gangseo Archery FieldArchery
Gangseo GymnasiumBadminton, Fencing
Gangseo Hockey StadiumHockey

;Geumjeong Sports Park
VenueEventsCapacity
Geumjeong GymnasiumBasketball
Geumjeong VelodromeCycling
Geumjeong Tennis StadiumTennis

;Gudeok Sports Complex
VenueEventsCapacity
Busan Gudeok StadiumFootball
Gudeok Baseball StadiumSoft tennis
Gudeok GymnasiumJudo, Taekwondo

;Others
VenueEventsCapacity
Nakdong River Rowing and Canoeing CoursesCanoeing, Rowing
Gijang GymnasiumVolleyball
Haeundae BeachVolleyball
Dongju College GymnasiumCue sports
Gijang StreetsCycling
Gijang Mountain Bike Race StadiumCycling
Busan Citizens' HallBodybuilding
Homeplus Asiad Bowling AlleyBowling
Busan Equestrian GroundsEquestrian, Modern pentathlon
Asiad Country ClubGolf
Tongmyong University of Information Technology StadiumKabaddi
Samnak Riverside Athletic ParkModern pentathlon
Busan Yachting CenterSailing
Pukyong National University GymnasiumWeightlifting
Dongseo University Minseok Sports CenterWushu, Sepak takraw

;South Gyeongsang
VenueEventsCapacity
Changwon Swimming PoolAquatics, Modern pentathlon
Changwon Main StadiumFootball
Changwon GymnasiumHandball

VenueEventsCapacity
Masan GymnasiumBoxing
Masan StadiumFootball

VenueEventsCapacity
Changwon Evergreen HallModern pentathlon
Changwon International Shooting RangeShooting, Modern pentathlon
Yangsan College GymnasiumKarate, Wrestling, Squash
Yangsan StadiumFootball

;Ulsan
VenueEventsCapacity
Ulsan Munsu Football StadiumFootball
Ulsan StadiumRugby
Dongchun GymnasiumTable tennis

The athletes' village in Property Development Area, Banyeodong, Haeundae District, Busan had 2,290 apartments in 20 buildings which can accommodate 14,000 people.

Transport

The host city Busan had existing subway and bus services prior to the games.

The games

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony with the theme “A Beautiful meeting,” was held on 29 September 2002 at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium. Participating nations marched into the stadium in Korean alphabetical order began with Nepal. North Korea and South Korea jointly entered the stadium under one flag for the first time in Asian Games history and the second time after the 2000 Summer Olympics. South Korean president Kim Dae-Jung declared the Games open, Two Korean athletes - Mun Dae-Sung and Ryu Ji -Hye took the oath on behalf of all the participating athletes while South Korea's retired judoist Ha Hyung-joo and North Korean female judoist Kye Sun-hui lit the games' cauldron. A 40-minute 6-part show about the union between King Kim Suro and Hur Hwangok Busan of Gaya was also presented, featuring soprano Sumi Jo.

Participating National Olympic Committees

All 44 members of Olympic Council of Asia with 7,711 athletes took part in the Games. East Timor participated for the first time since its independence and Afghanistan returned to the action since Taliban had come to power. Below is a list of all the participating NOCs; the number of competitors per delegation is indicated in brackets.
Participating :Category:Nations at the 2002 Asian Games|National Olympic Committees

Sports

A total of 419 events in 38 sports was contested in the Games for 16 days of competition. Football and basketball was kickoff two and one day respectively prior to the opening ceremony. Bodybuilding was the debutant sport in Games.

Closing ceremony

The closing ceremony with the theme “Returning Home.” was held on 14 October 2002 at the Busan Asiad Main Stadium. Japanese Swimming Kosuke Kitajima was announced as the most valuable player of the Games. Samih Moudallal, vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia, on behalf of OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al Sabah declared the games’ closing. The Asian Games hosting right was handed over to Qatar, host of the next edition. A cultural performance of Qatar was also presented.

Medal table

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

Broadcasting

Busan Asian Games Radio and Television Organization, a joint venture between Korean Broadcasting System, Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation and Seoul Broadcasting System, served as the host broadcaster of these Games, covered 28 of the 38 sports during the event. The International Broadcast Centre was constructed in Busan Exhibition and Convention Center.

Concerns and controversies

Doping issues

On October 7, 2002, the Olympic Council of Asia announced that the bodybuilding bronze medalist in the +90 kg weight category Youssef El-Zein of Lebanon was relieved of his medal for not submitting to a drugs test. After El-Zein was disqualified, the bronze medal in the +90 kg category went to Choi Jae-Duck of South Korea.
Six days later, Japanese news agency Kyodo News reported that Indian middle distance runner Sunita Rani had tested positive for a banned substance, which was later confirmed by Lee Choon-Sup, Deputy Secretary General of the Busan Asian Games Organizing Committee; an unofficial report stated that the substance was the anabolic steroid nandrolone. Sunita had won two medals in athletics: a gold in the 1,500 m and a bronze in the 5,000 m,. The Indian Chef de Mission at the Games backed Sunita—who denied using any banned drug—and asked for a "B" sample test from Bangkok, but tests were run only at the Asian Games’ Doping Control Center in Seoul. On October 16, the AGDCC confirmed the steroid nandrolone in Sunita's urine sample; as a consequence, the OCA stripped her of both medals and dismissed her Asian Games record for the 1,500 m.
The Indian Olympic Association requested the intervention of the International Association of Athletics Federations and the IOC; the samples were jointly reexamined by the World Anti-Doping Agency and the IOC Sub-Commission on Doping and Biochemistry of Sport. In January 2003, the OCA announced that the IOC Medical Director had cleared Sunita of the doping charge and that appropriate action would be taken against the AGDCC. Both of Sunita's medals were reinstated on February 4, 2003, in a ceremony attended by the Secretary General of OCA Randhir Singh and the president of the IOA Suresh Kalmadi.
Three Malaysian sepak takraw players were sent home for failing drug tests after testing positive for morphine.

Missing athletes

A total of 16 athletes including 12 Nepalese, three Sri Lankans and one Mongolian were reported to be missing, which police and sports officials suspected to have find illegal jobs in South Korea.