2011 Winter Asian Games
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Asian Winter Games
was a multi sporting event that was being held in Astana
and Almaty
, Kazakhstan
and that began on January 30, 2011 and ended on February 6, 2011. It was the first time that Kazakhstan hosted such a large event since independence from the Soviet Union
. The documents for the hosting city were signed in Kuwait
on March 4, 2006.
Upgrades to existing venues included modernizing the Central Stadium, the B. Sholak Sports Palace, Medeo Skating Rink, and Shimbulak Ski Resort. The ski area was increased fivefold from the current 5 km to 65 km. In 2008 a gondola lift from Medeo Skating Rink to Shymbulak Ski Resort was planned to be completed, however, only in the summer of 2010 construction really started and was under serious time preassure. Medeo Skating rink, built in 1972, is an outdoor rink about a half-hour from Almaty. It is surrounded by the Tian Shan Mountains.
Kazakh Minister of Sports Temirkhan Dosmukhambetov notes the USD 726 million for construction and renovation comes from the 2008 state budget. The Olympic village, on the other hand, will be financed by private investors. Overall, Kazakhstan is spending over $1.4 billion to develop the area it in advance of the games.
Upgrades to the Almaty airport were finished by December 2008; transport issues are also being reviewed. Millions of KZT are being earmarked for reconstruction and construction of main transport routes, overpasses, a ring road as well as investment in a light railway transport line between Talgar, Almaty, and Kaskelen. The plan also included purchases of city passenger buses, taxis, and possibly the construction of an underground electric transport system.
Almaty also upgraded its power supply network of substations and transmission lines. Expansion and reconstruction of heating systems was also recommended. A portion also got into environmental stabilisation.
In 2008, both Medeo and Shymbulak
Ski Resort were rebuilt in preparation for the Games. By 2015, Vladimir Smirnov, deputy head of the national ski federation, sayd the Shymbulak complex will play a key role in any prospective Olympic bid, and "by 2015 Shymbulak should become one of the world's ten largest ski resorts". People love to ski in Shymbulak, and many teenagers spend their weekends over there.
medals, Iran in ski orienteering and alpine skiing
and Kyrgyzstan in bandy
. 8 countries won medals the most ever at an Asian Winter Games.
Key:
, Kuwait City
on January 11, 2011. The relay was officially start in Almaty on January 12, 2011 and span around the cities in Kazakhstan for 16 days before arrive at the opening ceremony
on January 30, 2011.
Olympic sports Bobsleigh
, Luge
, Skeleton
, Snowboarding
, Curling
and Nordic Combined
will not be contested.
Bandy
was included for the first time in the Games, while curling
and snowboarding
was excluded from the list, ski jumping
returns to the Games, after not being contested in the last Games in Changchun.
, Qatar
and Singapore
will make their debuts, while Macau
and Pakistan
will not compete after competing in 2007.
Asian Winter Games
The Asian Winter Games is a multi-sport event held every four years for members of the Olympic Council of Asia which features winter events. The Japanese Olympic Committee first suggested the idea of holding a winter version of the Asian Games in 1982...
was a multi sporting event that was being held in Astana
Astana
Astana , formerly known as Akmola , Tselinograd and Akmolinsk , is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708,794 as of 1 August 2010...
and Almaty
Almaty
Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
and that began on January 30, 2011 and ended on February 6, 2011. It was the first time that Kazakhstan hosted such a large event since independence from the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. The documents for the hosting city were signed in Kuwait
Kuwait
The State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
on March 4, 2006.
Venues and financing
Astana Mayor Imangali Tasmagambetov announced venues being built include a multipurpose Sports Palace which will seat up to 15,000 spectators, a ski jump complex, a biathlon stadium, and an athlete village.Upgrades to existing venues included modernizing the Central Stadium, the B. Sholak Sports Palace, Medeo Skating Rink, and Shimbulak Ski Resort. The ski area was increased fivefold from the current 5 km to 65 km. In 2008 a gondola lift from Medeo Skating Rink to Shymbulak Ski Resort was planned to be completed, however, only in the summer of 2010 construction really started and was under serious time preassure. Medeo Skating rink, built in 1972, is an outdoor rink about a half-hour from Almaty. It is surrounded by the Tian Shan Mountains.
Kazakh Minister of Sports Temirkhan Dosmukhambetov notes the USD 726 million for construction and renovation comes from the 2008 state budget. The Olympic village, on the other hand, will be financed by private investors. Overall, Kazakhstan is spending over $1.4 billion to develop the area it in advance of the games.
Upgrades to the Almaty airport were finished by December 2008; transport issues are also being reviewed. Millions of KZT are being earmarked for reconstruction and construction of main transport routes, overpasses, a ring road as well as investment in a light railway transport line between Talgar, Almaty, and Kaskelen. The plan also included purchases of city passenger buses, taxis, and possibly the construction of an underground electric transport system.
Almaty also upgraded its power supply network of substations and transmission lines. Expansion and reconstruction of heating systems was also recommended. A portion also got into environmental stabilisation.
In 2008, both Medeo and Shymbulak
Shymbulak
Shymbulak , also known as Chimbulak is a ski resort near Almaty, the largest city of Kazakhstan. It is located in the upper part of the Medeu Valley in the Zaiilisky Alatau mountain range, at the elevation of 2200 meters above sea level. The resort area is about 25 km south of Almaty city by...
Ski Resort were rebuilt in preparation for the Games. By 2015, Vladimir Smirnov, deputy head of the national ski federation, sayd the Shymbulak complex will play a key role in any prospective Olympic bid, and "by 2015 Shymbulak should become one of the world's ten largest ski resorts". People love to ski in Shymbulak, and many teenagers spend their weekends over there.
Medal table
Kazakhstan won the same amount of gold medals as it did in 2007 on the first day of the competition on the way to topping the medal table for the first time. Iran and Kyrgyzstan won their first ever Asian Winter GamesAsian Winter Games
The Asian Winter Games is a multi-sport event held every four years for members of the Olympic Council of Asia which features winter events. The Japanese Olympic Committee first suggested the idea of holding a winter version of the Asian Games in 1982...
medals, Iran in ski orienteering and alpine skiing
Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing is the sport of sliding down snow-covered hills on skis with fixed-heel bindings. Alpine skiing can be contrasted with skiing using free-heel bindings: Ski mountaineering and nordic skiing – such as cross-country; ski jumping; and Telemark. In competitive alpine skiing races four...
and Kyrgyzstan in bandy
Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
. 8 countries won medals the most ever at an Asian Winter Games.
Key:
| 1 | 32 | 21 | 17 | 70 | |
| 2 | 13 | 24 | 17 | 54 | |
| 3 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 38 | |
| 4 | 11 | 10 | 14 | 35 | |
| 5 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 5 | |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 69 | 69 | 69 | 207 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Venues
| Location | Venue | Sports | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Astana Astana Astana , formerly known as Akmola , Tselinograd and Akmolinsk , is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708,794 as of 1 August 2010... |
Astana Arena | Opening ceremony 2011 Asian Winter Games opening ceremony The opening ceremony of the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at the Astana Arena, in Astana, Kazakhstan. It began at 6:00 PM on 30 January 2011 and lasted approximetly three hours.An estimated 30,000 were in attendance at the venue... |
30,000 |
| Indoor Speed Skating Stadium | Speed skating Speed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Speed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Indoor Speed Skating Stadium in Astana, Kazakhstan. The twelve events were scheduled for January 31– February 6, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-500 m:February 1-1500 m:February 4-5000 m:... |
8,773 | |
| Kazakhstan Sports Palace (arena 1) | Ice hockey Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held in Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan from 28 January to 6 February.For these games, the men were competing in a 14-team tournament, and the women in a 5-team tournament... |
5,050 | |
| Kazakhstan Sports Palace (arena 2) | Ice hockey Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held in Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan from 28 January to 6 February.For these games, the men were competing in a 14-team tournament, and the women in a 5-team tournament... |
1,200 | |
| Republican Cycling Track | Short track speed skating Short track speed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Short track speed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Republican Cycling Track in Astana, Kazakhstan. The eight events were scheduled for January 31– February 2, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Heats:-Semifinals:-Finals:... , figure skating Figure skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Figure skating was featured as part of the 2011 Asian Winter Games at the Alatau Sports Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan. Events were held on between the third and fifth of February 2011... |
8,000 | |
| Almaty Almaty Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500... |
Baluan Sholak Sport and Culture Palace | Ice hockey Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held in Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan from 28 January to 6 February.For these games, the men were competing in a 14-team tournament, and the women in a 5-team tournament... , closing ceremony |
5,000 |
| Medeo Medeo The Medeu , or Medeo , is an outdoor speed skating and bandy rink. It is located in a mountain valley on the south-eastern outskirts of Almaty, Kazakhstan. Medeu sits 1,691 metres above sea level, making it the highest skating rink in the world... |
Bandy Bandy at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Bandy at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Medeo in Almaty, Kazakhstan.-Medal table: -Medalists:-Preliminaries:---------Final:... |
8,500 | |
| International Ski Jump Complex | Ski jumping Ski jumping at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Ski jumping at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at International Ski Jump Complex in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The three events were scheduled for January 31–February 4, 2011.-Medal table:-Medalists:-Normal hill individual:February 4... |
9,500 | |
| Shymbulak Alpine Sport Resort Shymbulak Shymbulak , also known as Chimbulak is a ski resort near Almaty, the largest city of Kazakhstan. It is located in the upper part of the Medeu Valley in the Zaiilisky Alatau mountain range, at the elevation of 2200 meters above sea level. The resort area is about 25 km south of Almaty city by... |
Alpine skiing Alpine skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Alpine skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Shymbulak Alpine Sport Resort in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The six events were scheduled for January 31– February 4, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Super-G:February 1-Downhill:January 31... |
3,000 | |
| Biathlon and Cross Country Skiing Stadium | Biathlon Biathlon at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Biathlon at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Biathlon/Cross-Country Ski Complex in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The seven events were scheduled for January 31 – February 6, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-10 km sprint:February 1-12.5 km pursuit:... , cross-country skiing Cross-country skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Cross-country skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Biathlon/Cross-Country Ski Complex in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The twelve events were scheduled for January 31 – February 6, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Qualification:-Semifinals:... , ski orienteering Ski orienteering at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Ski orienteering at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Biathlon/Cross-Country Ski Complex in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The eight events were scheduled for January 31– February 5, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Sprint:January 31-Middle distance:... |
6,200 | |
| Tabagan Sport and Recreation Complex | Freestyle skiing Freestyle skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Freestyle skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Tabagan sport and recreation complex in the Almaty region, Kazakhstan. The six events were scheduled for January 31– February 3, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Aerials:February 1-Moguls:... |
2,250 |
Torch relay
The flame of the Games was officially lit at Kuwait TowersKuwait Towers
The Kuwait Towers are three towers of reinforced concrete in Kuwait City. The main tower is 187 metres high and serves as a restaurant and water tower. It also has a Viewing Sphere which rises to 123 metres above sea level and completes a full turn every 30 minutes. The second tower is 145.8 metres...
, Kuwait City
Kuwait City
-Suburbs:Although the districts below are not usually recognized as suburbs, the following is a list of a few areas surrounding Kuwait city:Al-Salam ""السلام"" -Economy:...
on January 11, 2011. The relay was officially start in Almaty on January 12, 2011 and span around the cities in Kazakhstan for 16 days before arrive at the opening ceremony
2011 Asian Winter Games opening ceremony
The opening ceremony of the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at the Astana Arena, in Astana, Kazakhstan. It began at 6:00 PM on 30 January 2011 and lasted approximetly three hours.An estimated 30,000 were in attendance at the venue...
on January 30, 2011.
| Date | City | Length | Number of torchbearers |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 12 | Almaty Almaty Almaty , also known by its former names Verny and Alma-Ata , is the former capital of Kazakhstan and the nation's largest city, with a population of 1,348,500... |
11.7km | 80 |
| January 13 | Taraz Taraz Taraz , is a city and a center of the Jambyl Province in Kazakhstan. It is located in the south of Kazakhstan, near the border with Kyrgyzstan, on the Talas River... |
12km | 60 |
| January 14 | Shymkent Shymkent Shymkent , formerly known as Chimkent , is the capital city of South Kazakhstan Province, the most populated region in Kazakhstan. It is the third most populous city in Kazakhstan behind Almaty and Astana with a population of 629,600 . A major railroad junction on the Turkestan-Siberia Railway, the... |
||
| January 15 | Kyzylorda | ||
| January 16 | Aktau Aktau Aktau , formerly known as Shevchenko , is a city in Kazakhstan's Mangyshlak Peninsula and country's only seaport on the Caspian Sea. It is the capital of Mangystau Province in western Kazakhstan... |
||
| January 17 | Atyrau Atyrau Atyrau , known as Guryev until 1991, is a city in Kazakhstan, and the capital of Atyrau Province. It is located at the mouth of the Ural River, 2700 kilometers west of Almaty and 350 kilometers east of the Russian city of Astrakhan. Other transliterations include Aterau, Atirau, Atyraw, Atyraou,... |
||
| January 18 | Oral Oral, Kazakhstan Oral , Uralsk in Russian, formerly known as Yaitsk , is a city in northwestern Kazakhstan, at the confluence of the Ural and Chogan Rivers close to the Russian border. As it is located on the western side of the Ural river, it is considered geographically in Europe. It has a population of 350,000... |
||
| January 19 | Aktobe Aktobe Aktobe , formerly known as Aktyubinsk , is a city on the Ilek River in Kazakhstan. With a population of 277,700, it is the capital of Aktobe Province. Aktobe has a mixed ethnic community, including Kazakhs, Russians, Ukrainians, Tatars, Uyghurs, Chechens, Armenians, Jews and Greeks... |
||
| January 20 | Kostanay Kostanay Kostanay , formerly known as Kustanay and Nikolayevsk , is a city located in the northern part of Kazakhstan at the Tobol River. The population living in Kostanay is 301,317 people. Kostanay is the capital of Kostanay Province.-Public institutions:In Kostanay there are 8 higher educational... |
||
| January 21 | Petropavl Petropavl Petropavl is a city on the Ishim River in North Kazakhstan Province of Kazakhstan close to the border with Russia, about 261 km west of Omsk along the Trans-Siberian Railway. It is capital of the North Kazakhstan Province... |
||
| January 22–23 | Kokshetau Kokshetau Kokshetau , formerly known as Kokchetav is the administrative center of Akmola Province, northern Kazakhstan. It has a population of 125,225 .-Geography:Astana, the new capital of Kazakhstan, is distant 1245 km south-eastwards... |
||
| January 24 | Pavlodar Pavlodar Pavlodar is a city in northeastern Kazakhstan and the capital of Pavlodar Province. It is located 350 km northeast of the national capital Astana, and 400 km southeast of the Russian city of Omsk along the Irtysh River. , the city has a population of 331710... |
||
| January 25–26 | Oskemen Oskemen Oskemen and Ust-Kamennaya , is the capital of the East Kazakhstan Province. It is served by the Ust-Kamenogorsk Airport.-History:... |
||
| January 27 | Taldykorgan Taldykorgan Taldykorgan , formerly known as Taldy-Kurgan , is the administrative center of Almaty Province, Kazakhstan. It has a population of 118,400 . Most of the people are Kazakhs.-Education:... |
||
| January 28–29 | Karagandy | ||
| January 30 | Astana Astana Astana , formerly known as Akmola , Tselinograd and Akmolinsk , is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708,794 as of 1 August 2010... |
Sports Events
Numbers in parentheses indicate the number of medal events contested in each sport.Olympic sports Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh
Bobsleigh or bobsled is a winter sport in which teams of two or four make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked, iced tracks in a gravity-powered sled that are combined to calculate the final score....
, Luge
Luge
A Luge is a small one- or two-person sled on which one sleds supine and feet-first. Steering is done by flexing the sled's runners with the calf of each leg or exerting opposite shoulder pressure to the seat. Racing sleds weigh 21-25 kilograms for singles and 25-30 kilograms for doubles. Luge...
, Skeleton
Skeleton (sport)
Skeleton is a fast winter sliding sport in which an individual person rides a small sled down a frozen track while lying face down, during which athletes experience forces up to 5g. It originated in St. Moritz, Switzerland as a spin-off from the popular British sport of Cresta Sledding...
, Snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
, Curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
and Nordic Combined
Nordic combined
The Nordic combined is a winter sport in which athletes compete in both cross-country skiing and ski jumping.- History :While Norwegian soldiers are known to have been competing in Nordic skiing since the 19th century, the first major competition in Nordic combined was held in 1892 in Oslo at the...
will not be contested.
Bandy
Bandy
Bandy is a team winter sport played on ice, in which skaters use sticks to direct a ball into the opposing team's goal.The rules of the game have many similarities to those of association football: the game is played on a rectangle of ice the same size as a football field. Each team has 11 players,...
was included for the first time in the Games, while curling
Curling
Curling is a sport in which players slide stones across a sheet of ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard. Two teams, each of four players, take turns sliding heavy, polished granite stones, also called "rocks", across the ice curling sheet towards the house, a...
and snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
was excluded from the list, ski jumping
Ski jumping
Ski jumping is a sport in which skiers go down a take-off ramp, jump and attempt to land as far as possible down the hill below. In addition to the length of the jump, judges give points for style. The skis used for ski jumping are wide and long...
returns to the Games, after not being contested in the last Games in Changchun.
- Alpine skiing
Alpine skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter GamesAlpine skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Shymbulak Alpine Sport Resort in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The six events were scheduled for January 31– February 4, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Super-G:February 1-Downhill:January 31...
(6) - BandyBandy at the 2011 Asian Winter GamesBandy at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Medeo in Almaty, Kazakhstan.-Medal table: -Medalists:-Preliminaries:---------Final:...
(1) - Biathlon (7)
- Cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter GamesCross-country skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Biathlon/Cross-Country Ski Complex in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The twelve events were scheduled for January 31 – February 6, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Qualification:-Semifinals:...
(12) - Figure skating
Figure skating at the 2011 Asian Winter GamesFigure skating was featured as part of the 2011 Asian Winter Games at the Alatau Sports Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan. Events were held on between the third and fifth of February 2011...
(4) - Freestyle skiing
Freestyle skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter GamesFreestyle skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Tabagan sport and recreation complex in the Almaty region, Kazakhstan. The six events were scheduled for January 31– February 3, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Aerials:February 1-Moguls:...
(6)
- Ice hockey
Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter GamesIce hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held in Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan from 28 January to 6 February.For these games, the men were competing in a 14-team tournament, and the women in a 5-team tournament...
(2) - Short track speed skating
Short track speed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter GamesShort track speed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Republican Cycling Track in Astana, Kazakhstan. The eight events were scheduled for January 31– February 2, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Heats:-Semifinals:-Finals:...
(8) - Ski jumping
Ski jumping at the 2011 Asian Winter GamesSki jumping at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at International Ski Jump Complex in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The three events were scheduled for January 31–February 4, 2011.-Medal table:-Medalists:-Normal hill individual:February 4...
(3) - Ski orienteeringSki orienteering at the 2011 Asian Winter GamesSki orienteering at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Biathlon/Cross-Country Ski Complex in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The eight events were scheduled for January 31– February 5, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Sprint:January 31-Middle distance:...
(8) - Speed skating
Speed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter GamesSpeed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Indoor Speed Skating Stadium in Astana, Kazakhstan. The twelve events were scheduled for January 31– February 6, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-500 m:February 1-1500 m:February 4-5000 m:...
(12)
Participating NOCs
26 countries have registered to take part and they are listed below, this is an increase of 1 from the 2007 games. BahrainBahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
, Qatar
Qatar
Qatar , also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is a sovereign Arab state, located in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its...
and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
will make their debuts, while Macau
Macau
Macau , also spelled Macao , is, along with Hong Kong, one of the two special administrative regions of the People's Republic of China...
and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
will not compete after competing in 2007.