Hangzhou Asian Games | Asian Games You Don't Know: How to Compare Kabardi, Dragon Boat, and Tengqiu? Surprisingly, there are more Asian Games events than the Olympics? Hangzhou | Project | Dragon Boat

Hangzhou, September 14th (Xinhua) - The Hangzhou Asian Games, with a total of 40 events, will open on September 23rd. Among them, projects such as Kabardi, Dragon Boat, and Tengqiu have aroused the curiosity of many sports fans. How do these relatively rare events that appear in comprehensive sports competitions compare? Why is the number of events at the Hangzhou Asian Games even higher compared to the 32 sports events at the 2024 Paris Olympics?

For most people, Kabardi is an unfamiliar sport. It originated in the folk culture of Asia and has a history of over 4000 years. It is popular in West Asia and South Asia.

The women's Kabardi final of the 18th Asian Games in 2018. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Du Yu

The rules of the Kabardi competition are similar to "Eagle Catches Chicken". In a Kabardi game, there are two teams, and before the game starts, both sides stand in their respective halves, alternating the order of attack and defense. The attacking side sends a team member into the opponent's half to launch an attack, while continuously shouting "Kabardi". If the attacking team member touches one or more defensive players and smoothly returns to their own half, all the touched players will be removed, and the attacking team will resurrect the corresponding number of players to play. On the contrary, if the attacking team member interrupts singing or is caught by the opponent and fails to return to their own half smoothly, they will be sent off the field, and the opponent will receive 1 point and resurrect one team member.

Although Kabardi's rules are not difficult to understand, it is not as easy as imagined to practice this sport well. It requires high strength, physical fitness, agility, and other skills from athletes, making it a sport that tests the overall ability of a team.

The men's 200m dragon boat race at the 18th Asian Games in 2018. Photo by Xinhua News Agency's Faweili

Dragon boat is a traditional Chinese sports activity. The most widely circulated theory about the origin of dragon boats is to commemorate the patriotic poet Qu Yuan of the Chu state, which gradually spread to multiple countries and regions around the world. Nowadays, many parts of the country have not only limited dragon boat races to the Dragon Boat Festival period, but have expanded into almost year-round competitive events.

In the dragon boat competition at the Hangzhou Asian Games, dragon boats must be equipped with a dragon head, tail, drum, and rudder to maintain Chinese folk traditions. During the competition, each team needs to have 1 drummer, 1 helmsman, 10 rowers, and 2 substitute players. Each participating team sets sail simultaneously on their respective tracks, and their ranking is determined by the order in which the leader reaches the finish line at the forefront.

The women's three on three semi-finals of the 2019 Asian Beach Vine Ball Championship. Photo by Xinhua News Agency reporter Li Ziheng

Similar to Kabardi and Dragon Boat, Tengqiu was also a sport that first became popular in a certain region of Asia and gradually expanded. Tengqiu is similar to the traditional Chinese shuttlecock kicking technique. Athletes need to use their wrists, knees, and other parts to simultaneously clamp and head the ball, preventing it from landing. Tengqiu is also somewhat similar to volleyball matches, with the difference being the use of feet instead of hands, hence it is also called "kicking volleyball".

In addition to the three Asian sports mentioned above, the Hangzhou Asian Games also features non Olympic sports such as esports, martial arts, bridge, and chess.

At the same time, there is actually more intersection between the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Paris Olympics. Many sports fans believe that the table tennis, diving, and badminton competitions at the Asian Games can already be considered "Olympic level" matches. In addition, according to the rules set by the Asian Games, athletics, basketball and other competitions will also be held as preliminary rounds for the Paris Olympics.

Overall, the events of the Hangzhou Asian Games are based on the events of the Paris Olympics, along with some distinctive Asian sports. If these distinctive "non Olympic" sports can shine brightly at the Asian Games, it will be of great benefit to the promotion and popularization of this sport on an international scale. After all, according to the current regulations of the International Olympic Committee, the primary prerequisite for a project to be listed as an Olympic event is that it must be widely carried out in at least 75 countries and regions.

Although sports such as Kabardi, dragon boat, and rattan ball are currently niche, there is still a possibility of them moving towards a larger stage in the future. From the Asian Games to the Olympics, it's worth looking forward to.