Logo of the 2006 Asian Games
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Host city | Doha, Qatar | ||
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Motto |
The Games of Your Life (Arabic: دورة الالعاب من حياتك) |
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Nations participating | 45 | ||
Athletes participating | 9,520 | ||
Events | 424 in 39 sports | ||
Opening ceremony | December 1 (Details) | ||
Closing ceremony | December 15 (Details) | ||
Officially opened by |
Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Emir of Qatar |
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Athlete's Oath | Mubarak Eid Bilal | ||
Judge's Oath | Abd Allah Al-Bulooshi | ||
Torch lighter | Shiekh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani | ||
Main venue | Khalifa International Stadium | ||
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The 2006 Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, was an Asian multi-sport event held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006 with 424 events in 39 sports and disciplines featured in the games. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia (following Tehran in 1974) to host the games.
It was the first time that all 45 member nations of the Olympic Council of Asia took part in this event. Also, Eurosport broadcast the event, marking the first time that the European continent could watch this Asian sporting event.
The final medal tally was led by China followed by South Korea and Japan with host Qatar at 9th place. Several world and Asian records were broken during the games. Though there were several controversies such as the death of South Korean equestrian rider Kim Hyung-chil in a fatal accident during the competition, the games were deemed generally successful with the rising standard of competition amongst the Asian nations.
On November 12, 2000, voting for the 2006 venue took place in Busan, South Korea. The voting involved the 41 members of the Olympic Council of Asia and consisted of three rounds, each round eliminating one of the bidding cities. After the first round, New Delhi was eliminated, with only two votes. The second round of voting, with three remaining candidates, gave Doha as the result.
Under the regulations of the OCA, a candidate which gains half of the available votes will automatically be selected as the host, and the remaining rounds of voting will be cancelled. When Doha gained 22 out of 41 votes this meant they were selected to host the 2006 Asian Games. Most of Qatar's votes came from the unanimous support from West Asian countries.