China tops medal tally again as EAG bids farewell

China tops medal tally again as EAG bids farewell
  The 6th East Asain Games (EAG), the last edition of the regional sports meet, concluded in the Tianjin Grand Theatre here on Tuesday evening with hosts China topping the overall medal table.

The ten-day competition has attracted 2,422 athletes from nine countries and regions to compete in 24 sports and 254 events. The Chinese delegation, who fielded 516 athletes to compete in all the 24 sports, collected a total of 134 gold, 79 silver and 51 bronze medals to defend its top position at the medal tally.

Japan finished second with 47 gold, 57 silver and 75 bronze while South Korea ranked third with 36 gold, 51 silver and 74 bronze medals.

China has enjoyed an overwhelming dominance in each edition of the quadrennial sports event, taking almost half of the gold medals granted at the previous five editions.

After Tianjin Games the EAG will officially bid farewell as the governing body of the Games had decided to transform the event to East Asian Youth Games featuring athletes aged between 14 and 18. The inaugural East Asian Youth Games will be held in 2019 with the date and venue yet to be decided.

"This change will lead to further development of all the young athletes in east Asia, giving them a platform to compete and communicate with each other and also getting better prepared for the YOG and Asian Youth Games," said Fok Tsun-ting, honorary president of East Asian Games Association (EAGA).

Launched in 1993 in Shanghai, the EAG is a multi-sport event organized by the EAGA. The participating delegations are the eight East Asian countries and regions of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), as well as the Pacific island of Guam, which is a member of the Oceania National Olympic Committees.


Kazakhstan, a former member of the EAGA, participated in the second EAG in Busan, South Korea in 1997 and Australia was invited to compete in the third edition in Osaka, Japan in 2001.