1913 - The first-ever multi-sport event in Asia is held in Manila, the Philippines with the staging of the Far Eastern Championship Games, considered to be a precursor to the Asian Games. Six countries - China, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand - participate in eight sports - athletics, baseball, basketball, diving, football, swimming, tennis and volleyball.

1938 - The 11^th edition of the Far Eastern Championship Games is scheduled to be held in Osaka, Japan, but the event is cancelled due to the impending outbreak of World War II. It proves to mark the end of the Games.

1948 - During the 14^th edition of the Olympic Games in London, Asian sports leaders meet and decide to inaugurate the Asian Games.

1949 - The Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) General Assembly meets in New Delhi, India and creates the Asian Games Federation (AGF), responsible for organising the Asian Games.

1951 - The first edition of the Asian Games is held in New Delhi. Japan top the medal table with 24 gold, 21 silver and 15 bronze medals.

1954 - The second edition of the Asian Games is held in Manila. Once again, Japan top the medal table with 38 gold, 36 silver and 24 bronze.

1958 - Tokyo plays host to the third edition of the Asian Games. The Torch Relay, now a well-established aspect in the build-up to both the Olympic and Commonwealth Games, is introduced as a new tradition of the Asian Games. Japan, yet again, top the medal table with 67 gold, 41 silver and 30 bronze.

1962 - The fourth edition of the Asian Games is held in Jakarta, Indonesia. Japan top the medal table with 73 gold, 65 silver and 23 bronze.

1966 - Bangkok stages the fifth edition of the Asian Games. Japan top the medal table with 78 gold, 53 silver and 33 bronze.

1970 - The Asian Games return to Bangkok after original hosts Seoul drop their bid in the wake of receiving security threats from North Korea. Japan top the medal table with 74 gold, 47 silver and 23 bronze.

1974 - The seventh edition of the Asian Games is held in Tehran, Iran as the quadrennial event moves to the Middle East for the first time. Japan top the medal table with 75 gold, 49 silver and 51 bronze.

1978 - The eighth edition of the Asian Games is held in Bangkok - the third time in four editions they had been staged in Thailand's capital. Original hosts Singapore could not fulfil their obligations due to financial reasons. Pakistan’s capital Islamabad was then chosen to stage the event but also pulled out due to conflicts with Bangladesh and India. Japan top the medal table with 70 gold, 58 silver and 49 bronze.

1981 - The AGF makes the decision to amend its constitution and rules and form the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) during a Council meeting in New Delhi on November 26. The decision is made in an attempt to better suit its evolving needs. In the meeting, the first constitution and rules are adopted and approved, and are scheduled to commence after the ninth edition of the Asian Games in 1982 in Delhi.

1982 - The first election for OCA Executive Board is held in New Delhi on November 16, during the first General Assembly. Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah is elected as the first President of the OCA. At this time, there are 34 member NOCs, which are referred to as the founder members. At the request of the Kuwait Olympic Committee and the Kuwait Government, the OCA General Assembly unanimously decides to have permanent headquarters in Kuwait.

The ninth edition of the Asian Games is held in New Delhi, which joins Bangkok as the only cities to host multiple editions of the event. The 1982 edition was the first Asian Games to be backed by the OCA. New Delhi 1982 marked the beginning of China’s dominance in the medal standings, ending Japan’s run of securing overall triumphs at all previous editions of the Games. China amassed 61 gold, 51 silver and 41 bronze.

The Japanese Olympic Committee first suggests the idea of having a continent-wide winter version of the Asian Games.

1984 - With Sapporo's expertise and infrastructure available after successfully hosting the 1972 Winter Olympic Games, the OCA General Assembly in Seoul, South Korea decides to give the Japanese city the privilege of hosting the first-ever Asian Winter Games in 1986.

Husain Al-Musallam joins the OCA. The Kuwaiti would go onto eventually become a hugely influential figure within the continental governing body.

1986 - The 10^th edition of the Asian Games takes place in Seoul. The venues and facilities are highly impressive as they are also going to be used for the 1988 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Ten socialist countries - Afghanistan, Brunei, Cambodia, Laos, Mongolia, Myanmar, North Korea, South Yemen, Syria and Vietnam - boycotted the Games due to political tensions. The only one not to was China, which once again tops the medal table with 94 gold, 82 silver and 46 bronze.

The first-ever Asian Winter Games are held in Sapporo. Participating in a total of 35 events in seven sports are 430 athletes from seven countries.

1990 - The 11th edition of the Asian Games is held in Beijing, marking the first large-scale international sports event to be hosted by China. China top the medal table with 183 gold, 107 silver and 51 bronze.

The build-up to Beijing 1990 sees the death of OCA President Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah during the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. The OCA headquarters are invaded and destroyed by the invasion.

The second edition of the Asian Winter Games is held in Sapporo with three NOCs participating in the event for the first time - Chinese Taipei, Iran and the Philippines.

1991 - Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah succeeds his father, Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, as the President of the OCA. The OCA has to re-build its headquarters in 1991 after Kuwait is liberated.

1992 - Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah becomes a member of the International Olympic Committee.

1994 - The 12th edition of the Asian Games takes place in Hiroshima, Japan. The main theme of the Games is to promote peace and harmony among Asian nations. This is emphasised by the Japanese hosts as the venue was the site of the first atomic bombings of 1945. China top the medal table with 125 gold, 83 silver and 58 bronze.

1996 - The OCA Hymn is adopted during the continental governing body’s 15th General Assembly in Bangkok. The Hymn is an amalgamation of all the sounds and cultures of the Asian continent and is said to represent their co-operation and unity.

The third edition of the Asian Winter Games is held in Harbin, China. Several NOCs, including Kazakhstan, Thailand and Uzbekistan, compete at the Games for the first time, expanding the number of participating countries to 17. They are officially opened by Jiang Zemin, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China.

1998 - The 13th edition of the Asian Games is held in Bangkok. China top the medal table with 129 gold, 78 silver and 67 bronze.

Husain Al-Musallam becomes the OCA’s deputy director general and technical director.

1999 - The fourth edition of the Asian Winter Games is held in the mountainous northern province of Gangwon, South Korea. The sites for the events are Yongpyong, Chuncheon and Gangneung. Skiing events are successfully staged, despite record low snowfall being experienced by the region.

2002 - The 14th edition of the Asian Games is held in Busan, South Korea. It is the first time in the history of the Asian Games that all 44 member nations of the OCA have participated. China, once again, top the medal table with 150 gold, 84 silver and 74 bronze.

2003 - Husain Al-Musallam joins the OCA Executive Board.

The fifth edition of the Asian Winter Games takes place in Aomori Prefecture, Japan. It is officially opened by the Crown Prince of Japan,  Naruhito.

2004 - The OCA Anti-Doping Rules are accepted during the continental governing body’s 23^rd General Assembly held in Doha, Qatar. Subsequently, in consultation with the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), certain changes were made to the rules.

2005 - Husain Al-Musallam takes up the post of OCA director general, placing him in charge of the day-to-day affairs of the body and coordinating with its 45-affiliated NOCs.

The final version of the Anti-Doping Rules is approved and accepted by the OCA during its Executive Board meeting in Kuwait on February 5. Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah officially signs the WADA Code during the 24th OCA General Assembly in Guangzhou, China on September 9.

The first edition of the Asian Indoor Games is held in Bangkok.

2006 - The 15th edition of the Asian Games is held in Doha. It is the first time that all 45 member nations of the OCA have taken part in the event. China again top the medal table with 166 gold, 87 silver and 63 bronze.

2007 - The sixth edition of the Asian Winter Games is held in Changchun, China. It marks the second time that China has hosted the event having also done so in Harbin in 1996. The Games were officially opened by Hu Jintao, the general secretary of the Communist Party of China.

Macau holds the second edition of the Asian Indoor Games with most events taking place at the Macau East Asian Games Dome. It is officially opened by Macau chief executive, Edmund Ho.

2008 - The first edition of the Asian Beach Games is held in Bali, Indonesia. The Opening Ceremony is held in the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park in Badung and the event is officially opened by Indonesia President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

2009 - The Asian Indoor Games is held in Vietnam for the first time with Hanoi chosen as the host city.

The inaugural edition of the Asian Martial Arts Games is held in Bangkok and the Suphan Buri Province, and is officially opened by Maha Vajiralongkorn, the King of Thailand.

The first edition of the Asian Youth Games is held in Singapore with more than 90 events on the programme. It serves as a qualifier for the 2010 Summer Youth Olympic Games (YOG), which would also take place in Singapore.

2010 - The 16th edition of the Asian Games takes place in Guangzhou. Hosts China top the medal table with 199 gold, 119 silver and 98 bronze.

The second edition of the Asian Beach Games is held in Muscat, Oman.

2011 - The seventh edition of the Asian Winter Games is held in two cities in Kazakhstan, Astana and Almaty.

2012 - Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah is elected President of the Association of National Olympic Committees at the body’s 18^th General Assembly in Moscow, Russia, in April.

The third edition of the Asian Beach Games is held in Haiyang, China.

2013 - The Asian Indoor Games and Asian Martial Arts Games are combined into one for the first time with Incheon, South Korea playing host. Featuring nine sports, the event serves as a high-profile test event for the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon.

The second edition of the Asian Youth Games is staged in Nanjing, China. It acts a full-scale dress rehearsal for the 2014 Summer YOG in the same city.

2014 - The 17^th edition of the Asian Games takes place in Incheon. Yet again, China top the medal table with 151 gold, 109 silver and 85 bronze.

Thailand hosts the Asian Beach Games for the first time, in Phuket. The two centres for hosting the fourth edition of the event are Patong Beach and Karon Beach.

2016 - The fifth edition of the Asian Beach Games is held at the popular tourist destination of Danang. It marks the second OCA event to be hosted by Vietnam, following the third edition of the Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi in 2009.

2017 - The Asian Winter Games return to Sapporo for the eighth edition. Another Japanese city, Obihiro, shares the hosting duties by staging the speed skating events. The programme is made up of five sports; biathlon, curling, ice hockey, skating (figure skating, short track and speed skating) and skiing (Alpine, cross-country, freestyle, ski jumping and snowboard).

The Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games is held in Ashgabat, marking the first OCA Games to take place in Turkmenistan. In addition to the 45 NOCs of the OCA, 17 NOCs from Oceania participate in the event that take place at the Ashgabat Olympic Complex, a multi-purpose sports facility made up of 30 venues.

2018 - Jakarta and Palembang in Indonesia stage the 2018 Asian Games, marking the first time the event has been co-hosted by two cities. China lead the medal table for the 10^th consecutive time with 132 gold, 92 silver and 65 bronze.

2023 - The Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games take place in the Chinese city - a year later than planned because of the COVID-19 pandemic.