The 1986 Asian Games, officially known as the 10th Asian Games and the X Asiad and commonly known as Seoul 1986 , were held from 20 September to 5 October 1986, in Seoul, South Korea. The venues and facilities of the 10th Asiad were the same venues and facilities that would be used in the 1988 Summer Olympics, as it was considered a test event. Seoul had previously been scheduled to host the 1970 games, but it received security threats from neighbouring North Korea, forcing it to give up hosting the games to previous 1966 host Bangkok, Thailand.

Bidding process

Baghdad, Iraq; Pyongyang, North Korea; and Seoul, South Korea were the bidding cities for the Games, but during the process Baghdad and Pyongyang withdrew, leaving Seoul as only bidding city.

Development and preparations

Marketing

Mascot

The official mascot for the 1986 Asian Games was Hodori the tiger, which was also the mascot of the 1988 Summer Olympics. It was a stylized tiger designed by Kim Hyun as an amicable Amur tiger, portraying the friendly and hospitable traditions of the Korean people.

Venues

The following venues were used during the Games.

The Games

Boycotting countries

Communist states Mongolia, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Afghanistan, and South Yemen, as well as Burma, Syrian Arab Republic and Brunei Darussalam boycotted the Games in support of the North Korea failed proposal to host some events during the 1988 Summer Olympics. The only participating country from the Eastern Bloc, the People's Republic of China, which was set to host the next games in Beijing, did participate and sent a high profile delegation, and ultimately finished at the top of the medal table. Two years later, all except North Korea participated at the 1988 Summer Olympics, although Brunei sent only one official and no athletes.

Participating National Olympic Committees

The following 27 NOCs participated.

Sports

Calendar

Medal table

The top ten ranked NOCs at these Games are listed below. The host nation, South Korea, is highlighted.

Controversies

Gimpo International Airport bombing

A North Korean spy detonated a bomb behind a vending machine in Gimpo International Airport and killed five people, including a South Korean delegate, just a few days before the Games started.