A record number of athletes is set to take part in this year’s 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.
It has revealed that the 45 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) affiliated to the Olympic Council of Asia have entered more than 12,500 athletes for the Games, due to take place from September 23 until October 8.
The previous Asian Games record was 11,300 athletes who took part in the last edition in Jakarta and Palembang in 2018.
The Asian Games is even bigger than the Olympics, with 11.420 athletes having taken part at Tokyo 2020.
The hosts will be supplying a team of more than 600, as will Thailand, Japan, South Korea, India and Hong Kong, China.
The prediction of a record entry comes in the wake of news that a total of three million tickets are being made available for the event.
Details of the number of athletes taking part were established by Hangzhou 2022 following the final part of its sports entry process.
"The sports entry for the Hangzhou Asian Games has now been completed, with Asia’s 45 NOCs entering more than 12,500 athletes," they said in a statement.
"The number of participating athletes exceeds that at previous Asian Games."
The number could raise further after it was agreed at the Olympic Council of Asia General Assembly in Bangkok earlier this month that up to 500 athletes from Russia and Belarus chasing qualification for next year's Olympic Games in Paris could be allowed to compete as guests.
The Asian Games, postponed from last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, is due comprise 40 sports, 61 disciplines and 483 events at 54 competition venues in Hangzhou and five co-host cities in Zheijang Province.
Athletics is the most popular sport, with 43 countries entering teams.
A total of 11 sports, including boxing, aquatics, shooting, weightlifting and e-sports, have attracted entries from more than 30 countries.
The sport with the largest number of athletes is football, which is among 11 sports, along with athletics, aquatics and fencing, that have more than 300 competitors registered.
At the first Asian Games in New Delhi in 1951, 11 countries and regions were represented by 489 athletes.
The three million tickets being offered for sale will be across 600 sessions of 40 sports, 61 disciplines and 483 events taking part in 54 competition venues across six cities - Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Huzhou, Shaoxing and Jinhua.
Registration and pre-sales is due to run until August 6, with real-time sales taking place between August 14 and October 8.
Each valid identification document allows the purchase of only one ticket for the same sports event.
For popular events, a maximum of four tickets per order can be purchased, while for others the number is six.
Tickets can be purchased online and, from August, through ticket booths at the venues.