 | |
| Host city | Bangkok, Thailand |
|---|---|
| Nations | 25 |
| Athletes | 3,842 |
| Events | 199 in 19 sports |
| Opening | 9 December 1978 |
| Closing | 20 December 1978 |
| Opened by | Bhumibol Adulyadej King of Thailand |
| Athlete's Oath | Preeda Chullamondhol[1] |
| Torch lighter | Panomkorn Pladchurnil[1] Ratchaneewan Bulakul |
| Main venue | National Stadium |
| Website | ocasia.org (archived) |
The8thAsian Games (Thai:กีฬาเอเชียนเกมส์ครั้งที่ 8), also known asBangkok 1978 (Thai:กรุงเทพมหานคร 1978), were held from 9 to 20 December 1978, inBangkok, Thailand. Originally, the host city wasSingapore but Singapore dropped its plan to host the Games due to financial problems. ThenIslamabad, the capital of Pakistan, was decided to host the 8th Games. ButIslamabad also dropped its plan to host theAsian Games due to conflicts withBangladesh and India. TheImperial State of Iran withdrew because of theIranian revolution.
Thailand offered to help and the Asiad therefore was held inBangkok. On the political front,Israel was expelled from the Asian Games. A total number of 3,842 athletes, coming from 25 countries, competed in these Asian Games. Debuting sports werearchery andbowling.[2]
Archery(4) (details)
Athletics(39) (details)
Badminton(7) (details)
Basketball(2) (details)
Bowling(10) (details)
Boxing(11) (details)
Cycling(6) (details)
Diving(4) (details)
Fencing(8) (details)
Field hockey(1) (details)
Football(1) (details)
Gymnastics(14) (details)
Sailing(4) (details)
Shooting(22) (details)
Swimming(29) (details)
Table tennis(7) (details)
Tennis(7) (details)
Volleyball(2) (details)
Water polo(1) (details)
Weightlifting(10) (details)
Wrestling(10) (details)25 out of 32Olympic Council of Asia members participated in these games.Iran sent only one official and did not participate in the games due to thepolitical situation in Iran at the time.Democratic Kampuchea also did not send any athletes and were represented by two officials.[1]
Bahrain (45)
Bangladesh (39)
Burma (42)
China (408)
Hong Kong (112)
India (283)
Indonesia (104)
Iraq (17)
Japan (460)
Kuwait (27)
Lebanon (3)
Malaysia (107)
Mongolia (20)
Nepal (13)
North Korea (111)
Pakistan (82)
Philippines (316)
Qatar (23)
Saudi Arabia (103)
Singapore (76)
South Korea (253)
Sri Lanka (18)
Syria (40)
Thailand (948)
United Arab Emirates (192)| IOC Letter Code | Country | Athletes |
|---|---|---|
| THA | Thailand | 948 |
| JPN | Japan | 460 |
| CHN | China | 408 |
| PHI | Philippines | 316 |
| IND | India | 283 |
| KOR | South Korea | 253 |
| UAE | United Arab Emirates | 192 |
| HKG | Hong Kong | 112 |
| PRK | North Korea | 111 |
| MAL | Malaysia | 107 |
| INA | Indonesia | 104 |
| KSA | Saudi Arabia | 103 |
| PAK | Pakistan | 82 |
| SIN | Singapore | 76 |
| BRN | Bahrain | 45 |
| BIR | Burma | 42 |
| SYR | Syria | 40 |
| BAN | Bangladesh | 39 |
| KUW | Kuwait | 27 |
| QAT | Qatar | 23 |
| MGL | Mongolia | 20 |
| SRI | Sri Lanka | 18 |
| IRQ | Iraq | 17 |
| NEP | Nepal | 13 |
| LIB | Lebanon | 3 |
The top ten ranked NOCs at these Games are listed below. The host nation, Thailand, is highlighted.
* Host nation (Thailand)
| Rank | Nation | Gold | Silver | Bronze | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan (JPN) | 70 | 59 | 49 | 178 |
| 2 | China (CHN) | 51 | 54 | 46 | 151 |
| 3 | South Korea (KOR) | 18 | 20 | 31 | 69 |
| 4 | North Korea (PRK) | 15 | 13 | 15 | 43 |
| 5 | Thailand (THA)* | 11 | 12 | 19 | 42 |
| 6 | India (IND) | 11 | 11 | 6 | 28 |
| 7 | Indonesia (INA) | 8 | 7 | 18 | 33 |
| 8 | Pakistan (PAK) | 4 | 4 | 9 | 17 |
| 9 | Philippines (PHI) | 4 | 4 | 6 | 14 |
| 10 | Iraq (IRQ) | 2 | 4 | 6 | 12 |
| 11–19 | Remaining | 7 | 11 | 21 | 39 |
| Totals (19 entries) | 201 | 199 | 226 | 626 | |
| Preceded by | Asian Games Bangkok VIII Asiad (1978) | Succeeded by |
| Summer Games |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Winter Games | ||
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