Far Eastern Games - History

History

In 1913, Elwood Brown, president of the Philippine Athletic Association and Manila Carnival Games, proposed the creation of the "Far Eastern Olympic Games" to China and Japan. It was at that time that Governor-General William Cameron Forbes was the president of the Philippine Amateur Athletic Association from 1911-1913. Governor-General Forbes formed the Far Eastern Olympic Association. The first Far Eastern Championship Games was held in the Carnival Grounds (now Rizal Memorial Sports Complex) in Malate, Manila, Philippine Islands on February 4, 1913. Forbes was also the one who formally declare the games open. Six countries participated in the eight day event: The Philippine Islands, Republic of China, Empire of Japan, British East Indies (Malaysia), Kingdom of Thailand and British crown colony Hong Kong. In 1915, the name changed to Far Eastern Championship Games and the association to Far Eastern Athletic Association when the event was held in Shanghai, China. The games were held every two years except in 1929 when Japan decided to delay the project to 1930. The FEAA decided to change the time table to four years and the Philippine Islands hosted the tenth games in 1934. Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) joined in the 1934 FECG. In September 1937, Japan invaded China with the Marco Polo Bridge Incident and started the Second Sino-Japanese War (which later became part of World War II), thus the planned games in 1938 were cancelled.