FESPIC Games

The FESPIC Games[1] or the Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled, was a multi-sports games in Asia and the South Pacific region which is considered to be a precursor to the Asian Para Games, as two of its edition games in 1999 (7th) and 2002 (8th) were held parallel to the 1998 Asian Games and the 2002 Asian Games.

FESPIC Games
MottoOvercoming Challenges, Inspiring Others
First event1975
Occur everyFour years
Last event2006 FESPIC Games in Kuala Lumpur
PurposeMulti-sport event for disable of the Asia-Pacific Region
HeadquartersJapan
APC PresidentDr. Kazuo Hatada
WebsiteFESPIC Federation

The FESPIC Games, which started in 1975, was held nine times.[2] The games were last contested in December 2006, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[3]

For Asian countries, the FESPIC Games was replaced by the Asian Para Games starting with the inaugural 1st Asian Para Games in 2010 in Guangzhou, China after the 16th Asian Games. For the Pacific countries, the para sports were included in the Pacific Games programme. The Asian Para Games, the parallel event for athletes with physical disabilities, is a multi-sport event held every four years after every Asian Games. The Asian Games and Asian Para Games had adopted the strategy used by the Olympic and Paralympic Games of having both games in the same city.

Objectives
  • To promote general interest and welfare for the disabled in the region through participation in sports events and other activities
  • To deepen mutual understanding and friendship of the disabled
  • To promote rehabilitation for the disabled in the region through sports activities

History

The first FESPIC Games was held in Oita, Japan in 1975. There were limited opportunities for persons with disabilities in Asia and the Pacific to participate in sports at the time. The FESPIC Games was launched to address this issue and promote understanding toward disabled persons in each country, as well as improve their social welfare.

The number of participant countries increased during FESPIC history. Central Asian countries Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Tajikistan, as well as Armenia and Azerbaijan, first participated in the 7th FESPIC Games in 1999. The Middle Eastern countries were allowed to compete in the 9th FESPIC Games in 2006, along with Timor-Leste. Middle East countries were previously not allowed to compete in FESPIC Games from 1975 to 2002 because these countries were Africa/Middle Eastern members.

List of FESPIC Games
Host cities of the FESPIC Games

Of all the nine edition of the FESPIC Games, two of them, the 1999 and 2002 editions were held in the same host city as the Asian Games. The 9th FESPIC Games was the last and final edition of the series which took place in 2006.[4] For Asian countries, the FESPIC Games was replaced by the Asian Para Games, starting with the inaugural 2010 Asian Para Games which was held in Guangzhou, China after the 16th Asian Games.

Edition Year Host City Host Nation Start Date End Date Nations Competitors
I 1975 Oita  Japan 1 June 3 June 18 973
II 1977 Parramatta  Australia 20 November 26 November 16 430
III 1982 Sha Tin  Hong Kong 31 October 7 November 23 744
IV 1986 Solo  Indonesia 31 August 7 September 19 834
V 1989 Kobe  Japan 15 September 20 September 41 1,646
VI 1994 Beijing  China 4 September 10 September 42 2,081
VII 1999 Bangkok  Thailand 10 January 16 January 34 2,258
VIII 2002 Busan  South Korea 26 October 1 November 40 2,199
IX 2006 Kuala Lumpur  Malaysia 25 November 1 December 46 3,641

Youth Games

One Youth Games was held in Hong Kong and serves as the precursor to the Asian Youth Para Games.

Edition Year Host City Host Nation Start Date End Date Nations Competitors
I 2003 Kowloon-Sha Tin  Hong Kong 24 December 27 December 15 584

Sports

See also

References
  1. "What is FESPIC Games?". Archived from the original on 2008-06-22. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
  2. Closure of FESPIC Federation Archived June 19, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  3. 9th Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled (FESPIC) Games
  4. FESPIC closure notice
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