Oceania countries get small quota at 2022 Asian Games

Bengaluru, September 21: The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has invited 350 athletes from Oceania nations including Australia for the 2022 Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, China.

The OCA's invite to the Games is for selected sports only to enable regional athletes to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics through Asian competition.

Australia has been a member of the Asian Football Confederation since 2006, and Oceania nations are currently competing at the Asian Indoor Games and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan.

Australian Olympic Committe President John Coates welcomes the OCA decision.

"I welcome the announcement of the invitation for Oceania athletes to participate in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China in the sports for which their qualification for the next Summer Olympic Games (Paris 2024) is through Asia," said Coates .

"The international federations are currently determining their qualification rules for Tokyo 2020 and these will provide a guide as to all of the sports and NOCs for which qualification from Oceania will be through Asia for Paris 2024."

The AOC's statement came two days after the OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah said the Asian Games was already too big to accommodate Oceania athletes.

Australia will participate in selected sports at the Asian 2022 Gameshttps://t.co/n73F90UDn5 pic.twitter.com/b6BPjhdiwB

— AUS Olympic Team (@AUSOlympicTeam) September 21, 2017

Coates, an IOC Vice President and of the world's most influential sports administrators, has long pushed for Australia's athletes to be included in the Asian Games to expose them to stiffer competition.

The nation's athletes competed at the Asian Winter Games as "guests" in Sapporo earlier this year.

Coates said volleyball, soccer, basketball and equestrian were among the sports for which Olympic qualification for Australia would likely be through Asia.