The 9th Asian Games were held from November 19, 1982, to December 4, 1982, in Delhi, India. 74 Asian and Asian Games records were broken at the event. This was also the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of the Olympic Council of Asia.

A total of 3,411 athletes from 33 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in these games, competing in 196 events in 21 sports and 23 disciplines. The number of participating countries was the highest in Asian Games history. Handball, equestrian, rowing and golf were included for the first time; fencing and bowling were excluded.

Delhi joined Bangkok (four times) as the only cities to host multiple editions of the Asian Games.

The Delhi Asian Games was the first Asiad to be held under the aegis of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). The Asian Games Federation, under whose jurisdiction the first eight Asian Games had been held, dissolved to make way for the OCA.

A total number of 3411 athletes, coming from 33 countries, competed in this Asiad. Debut sports were equestrian, golf, handball, rowing, and Women's field hockey. These Asian Games also saw the beginning of Chinese dominance in the medals tally.

Japan had won the maximum number of medals in previous editions of the Games. China made its presence felt in the sporting world by dethroning Japan as the top medalists. In preparation for the IX Asian Games, color television was introduced in India in a big way, as the Games were to be broadcast in colour.

The mascot for the Games was Appu – a kid elephant. Known in real life as "Kuttinarayanan", this elephant fractured its leg in an accident when he was seven years old – he stepped into a septic tank. That wound would not heal and it eventually killed him. Kuttinarayanan died on May 14, 2005.

Host of the next (10th) Asian Games in 1986, and the 24th Summer Olympics in 1988, Seoul, South Korea participated in the Delhi Asian Games with a 406-person delegation, including an observation team to study the facilities, management and events.Doordarshan started colour television broadcasts expressly for the Asian Games 1982.

...
Wikipedia