After 15 days of action-packed entertainment, the 19th edition of the Asian Games came to a close yesterday (8) with the hosts dominating the medal tally in an unassailable lead. The games were originally planned to be held last year, but were postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, hence it carried its original term of “19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022”.  

Sri Lanka finished 26th in the overall medal standings, with 1 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals. Sri Lanka was the best performing South Asian team after India, who finished fourth. Afghanistan finished 30th, Pakistan 31st, Nepal 32nd, and Bangladesh 37th. 

Zhang Yufei (swimming) and Qin Haiyang (swimming), both from China, were rewarded as the female MVP and male MVP of the 19th Asian Games.

Updates from the last day’s action

Zheng Weitong clinched the title in the men's individual Xiangqi (Chinese Chess), securing the 200th gold for Team China at the Hangzhou Asian Games, marking the first time Team China has reaped over 200 golds in a single Asian Games. Xiangqi is a popular board game especially in countries in the Far East: China, Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and others.

The first-ever gold medal in the Breaking discipline in the history of the Asian Games was clinched by Nakarai Shigeyuki of Japan. It is a form of dance sport that blends urban dance with remarkable athleticism.

Football – South Korea got the better of Japan 2-1 in an epic grand finale. Uzbekistan beat Hong Kong to win bronze. 

Artistic swimming – China won the gold medal in the artistic swimming team event.

Badminton – World number one An Seyoung from South Korea defeated China's Chen Yufei 2-1 to claim the title in the badminton women's singles event. 

Baseball – South Korea beat Chinese Taipei 2-0 to claim the gold in the men's baseball event.