The 2017 Asian Winter Games in Sapporo featured five sports: biathlon, curling, ice hockey, skating (speed skating, figure skating and short track) and skiing (Alpine, cross-country, freestyle, ski jumping and snowboard).

Around 1,200 athletes from around 30 of the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) 45 member National Olympic Committees took part, which made it the largest Asian Winter Games in OCA history.

The Games took place from February 19 to 26.

The 2017 event was the eighth staging of the Asian Winter Games, with Sapporo hosting them for the third time, following 1986 and 1990.

It was the fourth time Japan had staged the Games.

Venues for the 2017 Asian Winter Games

The Sapporo Dome hosted the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of the 2017 Asian Winter Games and is one of the planned venues for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, hosting football. 

Other venues for the Games included the Okurayama Ski Jump Stadium, the Tsukisamu Gymnasium, the Dohgin Curling Stadium, the Shirahatayama Cross-Country Course and the Meiji Hokkaido-Tokachi Oval in Obihiro.

Number of athletes: 1,147

Number of countries participating: 32

Number of sports/disciplines: 11

Number of events: 64

Legacy: Despite withdrawing from the race for the 2026 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, Sapporo will instead focus on bidding for the 2030 edition of the event.

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