2006 Asian Games
The 2006 Asian Games (Arabic: دورة الألعاب الآسيوية 2006, romanized: Dawrat al-ʼAl‘ab al-Asīawīah 2006), officially known as the XV Asiad, was an Asian multi-sport event held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to 15, 2006, with 424 events in 39 sports featured in the games. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia (following Tehran in 1974) to host the games. The city will host the games again in 2030.
| Host city | Doha, Qatar |
|---|---|
| Motto | The Games of Your Life |
| Nations | 45 |
| Athletes | 9,520 |
| Events | 424 in 39 sports (46 disciplines) |
| Opening | 1 December 2006 |
| Closing | 15 December 2006 |
| Opened by | Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani Emir of Qatar |
| Closed by | Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah President of the Olympic Council of Asia |
| Athlete's Oath | Mubarak Eid Bilal |
| Judge's Oath | Abd Allah Al-Bulooshi |
| Torch lighter | Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani |
| Main venue | Khalifa International Stadium |
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| Winter | |
| Part of a series on |
| 2006 Asian Games |
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It was the first time that all 45 member nations of the Olympic Council of Asia took part in this event. Also, Eurosport broadcast the event, marking the first time that the event was broadcast outside the continent. 21 competition venues were used for the Games including the newly constructed Aspire Indoor Sports Complex. The opening and closing ceremonies of the Games were held at Khalifa International Stadium. The trampoline discipline of gymnastics, as well as chess and triathlon made their debut at the Games.
The final medal tally was led by China, followed by South Korea and Japan. Qatar finished in ninth place. Tajikistan, Jordan and United Arab Emirates won their first ever Asian Games gold medals. 7 world and 23 Asian records were broken during the games, while South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan was announced as the most valuable player.