Hangzhou to host 2022 Asian Games

The Chinese city of Hangzhou was confirmed on Wednesday as the host of the 2022 Asian Games, the Olympic Council of Asia announced at its General Assembly in Ashgabat.

The capital of China's Zhejiang province, Hangzhou, was the sole bidder to stage the 19th edition of Asia's biggest multi-sports event.

China has hosted the Asian Games twice before, at Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010, and has already been awarded the Winter Olympics in 2022.

Held every four years, the next Asian Games will take place in Jakarta in 2018.

The OCA had wanted to switch the Asian Games to an odd-number year to avoid clashing with the Winter Olympics and FIFA World Cup but reverted back to the same time slot after Hanoi, Vietnam withdrew as the 2019 host.

Jakarta stepped in as the replacement but asked for the Games to be moved forward to 2018 because the Indonesian presidential elections are slated for 2019.

Image: Main Stadium of Hangzhou Olympic and International Expo Center 

Photograph: Getty Images