2017 Asian Winter Games
The 2017 Asian Winter Games (Japanese: 2017アジア冬季競技大会, romanized: 2017 Ajia tōkikyōgitaikai) was the 8th edition of the Asian Winter Games. They were hosted in Sapporo and Obihiro in Hokkaido, Japan. These Games were originally scheduled for 2015, however, in the Olympic Council of Asia's general assembly in Singapore on 3 July 2009, the committee decided to move the Games to one year before the Winter Olympics moving forward. The games began on 19 February with the opening ceremony (the curling and hockey events begin the day before) and ended with the closing ceremony on 26 February.
| Host city | Sapporo and Obihiro, Hokkaido, Japan |
|---|---|
| Motto | Beyond Your Ambitions (世界につながる、冬にする, Sekai ni tsunagaru, fuyu ni suru) |
| Nations | 32 |
| Athletes | 1,147 |
| Events | 64 in 11 sports |
| Opening | February 19, 2017 |
| Closing | February 26, 2017 |
| Opened by | Naruhito Crown Prince of Japan |
| Closed by | Timothy Fok Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia |
| Athlete's Oath | Mari Motohashi Go Tanaka |
| Judge's Oath | Masatsugu Odoka Mai Mizuhori |
| Torch lighter | Masahiko Harada |
| Main venue | Sapporo Dome |
| Website | sapporo2017.org |
| Summer | |
| Winter | |
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Sapporo and Obihiro were named as the host cities on January 31, 2011, as the sole bidding cities. The hosting contract was signed by Tsunekazu Takeda, the president of the Japanese Olympic Committee. It will be the third time that Sapporo will host the event and fourth time in Japan. Previously the city held the two first editions of the Games in 1986 and 1990. Before hosting the first Asian Winter Games, the city was also the host of the 1972 Winter Olympics and the 1991 Winter Universiade.