The Asian Games owns it origins to small Asian multi- sport competitions held every two years from 1913 to 1934 under a number of names. The Far Eastern Championship Games were created to show unity and cooperation among three nations: Japan, the Philippines and China. The first games were held in Manila in 1913. Other Asian nations participated after it was organized. It was discontinued in 1938 when Japan invaded China and consequently annexed the Philippines which led to the expansion of World War II in the Pacific.
After World War II, many of the new independent Asian countries wanted to use a new type of competition where Asian solidarity should be strengthened by mutual understanding. In August 1948, during the 14th Olympic Games in London, Indian IOC representative Guru Dutt Sondhi proposed to sports leaders of the Asian teams the idea of holding the Asian Games. In February, 1949, the Asian Athletic Federation was formally formed and used the name Asian Games federation. It was decided to hold the first Asian Games in 1951 in New Delhi, the capital of India. Since 1954, the Asian Games have been held every four years.