1996 Winter Asian Games
Encyclopedia
The 3rd Asian Winter Games
were held from February 4 to 11, 1996 in Harbin
, China
. North Korea
was originally scheduled to host the games in 1995, but was not able to honour its commitment. The International Olympic Committee
's decision to hold the Winter and Summer Olympic Games two years apart affected the schedule of the 3rd edition of the Winter Asiad, as it had to be moved to 1996 in order to avoid being held at the same time as the 1994 Winter Olympics
in Norway
. Several NOCs, including Kazakhstan
and Uzbekistan
, participated in the games for the first time after gaining independence from the Soviet Union
, expanding the number of participating countries to 17.
The 1996 Winter Asiad mascot is Doudou, a character inspired by the pea
plant.
was reinstated and Freestyle skiing
was added to the program.
Demonstration sport
only:
Participating National Olympic Committee
Names are arranged in alphabetical order by their IOC country codes.
Asian Winter Games
The Asian Winter Games is a multi-sport event held every four years for members of the Olympic Council of Asia which features winter events. The Japanese Olympic Committee first suggested the idea of holding a winter version of the Asian Games in 1982...
were held from February 4 to 11, 1996 in Harbin
Harbin
Harbin ; Manchu language: , Harbin; Russian: Харби́н Kharbin ), is the capital and largest city of Heilongjiang Province in Northeast China, lying on the southern bank of the Songhua River...
, China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
. North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
was originally scheduled to host the games in 1995, but was not able to honour its commitment. The International Olympic Committee
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president...
's decision to hold the Winter and Summer Olympic Games two years apart affected the schedule of the 3rd edition of the Winter Asiad, as it had to be moved to 1996 in order to avoid being held at the same time as the 1994 Winter Olympics
1994 Winter Olympics
The 1994 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 12 to 27 February 1994 in and around Lillehammer, Norway. Lillehammer failed to win the bid for the 1992 event. Lillehammer was awarded the games in 1988, after having beat...
in Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. Several NOCs, including Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
and Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
, participated in the games for the first time after gaining independence from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
, expanding the number of participating countries to 17.
Mascot
The 1996 Winter Asiad mascot is Doudou, a character inspired by the pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
plant.
Sports
A total of 43 events in eight medal sports were held in the Third Winter Asian Games. Figure skatingFigure skating
Figure skating is an Olympic sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform spins, jumps, footwork and other intricate and challenging moves on ice skates. Figure skaters compete at various levels from beginner up to the Olympic level , and at local, national, and international competitions...
was reinstated and Freestyle skiing
Freestyle skiing
Freestyle skiing is form of skiing which used to encompass two disciplines: aerials, and moguls. Except the two disciplines mentioned earlier Freestyle Skiing now consists of Skicross, Half Pipe and Slope Style...
was added to the program.
- Alpine SkiingAlpine skiing at the 1996 Asian Winter GamesAlpine skiing at the 1996 Winter Asian Games took place in the city of Harbin, People's Republic of China with four events contested — two each for men and women.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:...
- BiathlonBiathlon at the 1996 Asian Winter GamesBiathlon at the 1996 Winter Asian Games took place in the city of Harbin, People's Republic of China with six events contested — three for men and three for women. The women's biathlon events were introduced in this edition of the Winter Asiad....
- Cross-Country SkiingCross-country skiing at the 1996 Asian Winter GamesCross-country skiing at the 1996 Winter Asian Games took place in the city of Harbin, People's Republic of China with six events contested — three each for men and women.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:...
- Figure SkatingFigure skating at the 1996 Asian Winter GamesFigure skating at the 1996 Winter Asian Games took place in the city of Harbin, People's Republic of China with four events contested. This edition of the Winter Asiad marks the return of the sport after a ten-year absence. The previous Asian Winter Games were held in Sapporo, Japan.-Medal...
- Freestyle SkiingFreestyle skiing at the 1996 Asian Winter GamesFreestyle skiing at the 1996 Winter Asian Games took place in the city of Harbin, People's Republic of China with two events contested - one each for men and women. Freestyle skiing was introduced in this edition of the Winter Asiad.-Medal summary:...
- Ice HockeyIce hockey at the 1996 Asian Winter GamesIce hockey at the 1996 Asian Winter Games took place in the city of Harbin, People's Republic of China. The spot for the DPR Korea team, which did not participate, was filled with Kazakhstan's entry into this Winter Asiad...
- Short Track Speed SkatingShort track speed skating at the 1996 Asian Winter GamesShort track speed skating at the 1996 Winter Asian Games took place in the city of Harbin, People's Republic of China with ten events being contested — five each for men and women.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:...
- Speed SkatingSpeed skating at the 1996 Asian Winter GamesSpeed skating at the 1996 Winter Asian Games took place in the city of Harbin, People's Republic of China with nine events contested — five for men and four for women.-Medal summary:-Medal table:-References:...
Demonstration sport
Demonstration sport
A demonstration sport is a sport which is played to promote itself, most commonly during the Olympic Games, but also at other sporting events.Demonstration sports were officially introduced in 1912 Summer Olympics, when Sweden decided to include glima, traditional Icelandic wrestling, in the...
only:
- Ski JumpingSki jumping at the 1996 Asian Winter GamesSki jumping at the 1996 Winter Asian Games took place in the city of Harbin, People's Republic of China with only two events being contested — both of them men's events. Both events were only for demonstration; the medals gained here did not officially count towards the final medal tally.-Medal...