Its medal count at the Rio Olympics shows this. Japan, which is hosting the Summer Olympics in Tokyo in 2020, and South Korea, where the Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Games are being held, are two examples of the growing power of Asian countries within the International Olympic Committee.

As IOC President Thomas Bach said recently, “The time of Asia has arrived in the Olympic Movement.”

East Asia, however, is not the entirety of Asia. In the near future, an Indian bid for the Olympic Games seems unrealistic. The bids of Southeast and Central Asian nations to host the Summer Olympics in 2000 or 2008 were also unsuccessful.

Iran is an anomaly. Until the Islamic Revolution of 1979, the country was considered to be a serious candidate for the hosting Olympic Summer Games. Qatar, the host of the controversial FIFA World Cup in 2022 and an unsuccessful bidder to the 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, has gained significant influence on sports matters as a result of its financial wealth.

These developments date back to the 1970s. This period saw the massive reconfiguration of Olympic sports in Asia, and Asian countries demanded more influence within the IOC. The Seventh Asian Games in Tehran 1974, a regional sports event and training platform for the Olympics that was held under the IOC’s patronage, was what accelerated the “rise of” the Asian countries mentioned above.

Two Chinas problem

All of this is rooted in the struggle between China and Taiwan for legitimacy. Both have claimed since 1949 to be the only representative of “China.” It meant that both countries refused to take part in any sporting events in which the other was also participating.

China left the Olympic Movement in 1958 due to its conflict with Taiwan. Beijing withdrew from all international sporting events in 1966 after the Cultural Revolution.

It was only in 1980 that the country returned to participate in the Olympic Games. Beijing’s participation at the Seventh Asian Games in 1974 was a result of negotiations between Beijing and the IOC.

The Chinese national flag is displayed during the opening ceremony for the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. Jerry Lampen/Reuters

Iran, under Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, was one of China’s biggest supporters. After Tehran recognized Beijing diplomatically in 1971, his engagements with China increased anti-Soviet cooperation.

Beijing seized the seat previously held by Taipei at the United Nations shortly after. The result was decolonization, and a growing number of UN member states were sympathetic to Beijing’s claims.

Members of the Asian Games Federation from Japan were also strong supporters of China’s involvement. The Japanese believed that Beijing was China and wanted to challenge the Asian Games by including Chinese athletes.

The Tehran Games, which were the first Asian Games to be held in West Asia, also had a significant impact on the Arab countries of the region. Some had experienced decolonization and a financial boom in 1973 through the First Oil Crisis.

Seven of them eventually joined the Asian Games Federation either before or during the Seventh Games. This encouraged their involvement in Olympic sports affairs.

Geopolitical Background

Geopolitical changes had a major impact on the Iranian Government’s plan to use China to balance the Soviet Union. Since the mid-1950s, there have been strong ideological tensions between China and the Soviet Union.

In the 1970s, the USSR was a major concern because of the British declaration in 1969 that it would permanently remove all of its troops east of the Suez Canal before 1971. This decision was a major factor in the decolonization of the Persian Gulf.

The tensions led the Iranians to believe that China could be used as a tool to restrict the USSR’s freedom and action.