Masterminding a uniquely Asian affair

Mind sports, along with esports, is one of the nine non-Olympic sports categories included in the Hangzhou Asian Games program.

It has been a tradition of the Asian Games to include Asia-specific competitions that either have a long history and tradition reflecting the diverse cultures of the continent, or are emerging sports with a growing popularity among young people.

Besides mind sports and esports, martial arts — including ju-jitsu, kurash and karate — squash, cricket, sepak takraw, kabaddi, dragon boat racing, baseball and softball are other non-Olympic sports included in the Hangzhou Asiad.

"The selection of non-Olympic events at the Asian Games fully takes into account the popularity of different events in various parts of Asia," said Zhu Qinan, director of the Competition Department of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee. "These non-Olympic events have enriched the competition content of the Asian Games and display the beauty and diversity of Asian sports."

Thanks to its global influence, the Asiad has been a wonderful platform to promote Asia-specific sports, which are fundamentally entertaining.

Take kabaddi, a sport with a history of more than 4,000 years and popular in West and South Asia, for example.

Since it became an official event of the Asian Games in 1990, kabaddi has attracted a larger audience every time it has appeared at the Asian Games.