Hanoi (VNA) - TheAsian Games 2018 in Indonesiawill feature 39 sports, including new ones, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)announced on April 21.
New additions at the 2018 games are bridge – a card game, Indonesian martialart pencak silat, jujitsu, paragliding, jet ski and mountain climbing.
On the other hand, cricket, which was at the last two Asian Games, is beingdropped after the OCA complained that major sides had failed to send full-strengthsquads.
The number of sports is three higher than at the 2014 games in Incheon ofthe Republic of Korea, despite the event's enormous sizehaving sparked criticism in the past. It also surpasses the 33 sports plannedfor the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
Indonesia was chosen tobe the host after Vietnam’swithdrawal in April 2014. The Asian Games 2018 will be held from August 18 toSeptember 2, with most events slated for Jakarta and Palembang.
The country hosted the Asian Games in 1962 and Southeast Asian Games (SEAGames) in 2011.
The Asian Games 2018 athletes’ village is currently under construction withestimated cost of 1.2 billion IDR (over 10 million USD), which is expected tocomplete later this year.-VNA