1986 Asian Winter Games

The 1st Asian Winter Games (Japanese: 1986年アジア冬季競技大会, romanized: 1986-Nen Ajia tōkikyōgitaikai) were held from March 1 to 8, 1986 in Sapporo, Japan. The Japanese Olympic Committee first suggested the idea of having a continent-wide winter version of the Asian Games in 1982. With Sapporo's expertise and infrastructure available after successfully hosting the 1972 Winter Olympics, the Olympic Council of Asia General Assembly in Seoul in 1984 decided to give Japan the privilege of hosting the first ever Asian Winter Games. Participating in a total of 35 events in seven sports were 430 athletes and officials from seven countries.