April 17, 2007 – The city of Incheon in Korea has won the right to host the 2014 Asian Games over its nearest competitor New Delhi from India, the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced in Kuwait yesterday. Incheon will be the third Korean city to host Asian Games after Seoul (1986) and Busan (2002).

The Incheon bids committee promised to raise $20 million in funding to support Asian countries that have yet to win medals at the Asian Games. During its 40-minute, final presentation to the OCA, the Incheon committee also extended an offer of free flights and accommodation to some participants of the 2014 Games.

The 17th Asian Games are scheduled from Sept. 19 to Oct. 4, 2014, significantly earlier in the season than the 2006 Asian Games, held in Doha last December. The temperature in Incheon during the period is expected to be about 20 degrees Centigrade or 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Some 12,000 athletes and staff from 45 member countries will participate in about 37 disciplines at the Incheon Games.

Incheon expects some W12.93 trillion (US$1= W929) worth of economic effects and 268,000 new jobs from hosting the games. With a population of 2.7 million, Incheon is the third-largest city in Korea. It is about 80 km west of Seoul, and a massive subway system links the two cities. As a selling point prior to the vote, Incheon promoted its information technology systems as one of the most advanced in the world.

Korea has been actively pursuing rights to host sporting events in the past few years. Although it lost the bid for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in PyeongChang, it is one of the stronger contenders to host the 2014 Winter Olympics. The city of Yeosu is bidding for the 2012 World Expo. Daeigu was recently chosen to host the 2011 World Championships in Athletics.