What to expect from the aquatics at the 2018 Asian Games

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There will be eight events at the 18th Asian Games plus one demonstration for canoe polo. Athletes from the region will gather for the games in the Indonesian cities of Jakarta and Palembang from August 18 to Sept. 2.

Aquatics events

In alphabetical order, the aquatics sports at the Indonesia Asian Games will include artistic swimming, canoe/kayak sprint, canoe/kayak slalom, diving, rowing, swimming, sailing, and water polo.

Diving will take place between August 28 and Sept. 1, swimming between August 19 and 24, artistic swimming between August 28 and 29, and water polo between August 16 and Sept. 1 at the Aquatic Center in Jakarta, which has a capacity for over 8,000 people.

Sailing will be held from August 24 to 31 at the Ancol Beach Marina, also known as Ancol Dreamland, in Ancol, north Jakarta.

An athlete in action during the British Canoe Slalom Media day ahead of the European Championships at Lee Valley White Water Centre on May 23, 2018 in London, England. /VCG Photo

The canoeing races at the games will feature three main disciplines: The slalom, also known as whitewater slalom will take place on August 21-23, the canoe sprint will last from August 29 to Sept. 1, and the traditional boat races will happen from August 25 to 27.

The slalom canoe competition will be held at the Bendung Rentang in Majalengka Regency, West Java, whereas the canoe sprint, rowing and traditional boat race events will be staged in Jakabaring Sports City, a sport complex in Palembang.

Slalom is a paddle sport in which athletes try to navigate a canoe or kayak through gates on river rapids while a canoe sprint takes place on calm water.

People play canoe polo on July 6, 2017 in the lake of Eur in Rome, Italy. /VCG Photo

Canoe polo is, as outlined in the name, a combination of canoeing and water polo. In the match, two teams of five players compete on a rectangular water pitch and use their paddle or hands to pass and shoot the ball into the opposing goal, which is a net suspended two meters above the water. The ball in the event is the same that is used in water polo, but the kayaks used in the match are specially designed to be faster and lighter than the typical ones to allow for better maneuverability.

"The sport is being revived now because there are many participants in Asia. Our dream is for canoe polo to be included in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China," said Indonesian Rowing Association vice chairman Budiman Setiawan.

Who will win the most medals?

Four years ago, in Incheon, China won the medal tally in the aquatics events. But at this tournament, Japan and the Republic of Korea (ROK) are looking to compete with China.

Japan's Rikako Ikee celebrates on the podium after claiming the gold medal in women's 100m butterfly event of the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships at Tokyo Tatsumi International Swimming Center on August 11, 2018 in Tokyo, Japan. /VCG Photo

In terms of swimming, for example, Japan won 12 gold medals compared to China’s 22 in S. Korea. Young talent from both countries are expected show their strength in the pool. Rikako Ikee, 18, is a world record holder in the 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly. Among China’s 29-member women’s swimming team, 21-year-old Liu Xiang said “I am confident I will win the match against Ikee.” Also, Li Bingjie and Wang Jianjiahe, both aged 16, are likely to do well at the competition.

There are 24 on the Chinese men’s swimming team and its leader is 26-year-old Sun Yang, who will participate in all the freestyle swimming events from 200m to 1,500m. Xu Jiayu, 22, aims to continue his victory in the 50m, 100m and 200m backstroke races.

Meanwhile, swimmers from ROK will be looking to make a name for themselves in Indonesia. The country did not win a single gold at home four years ago and only eight S. Korean swimmers have ever won gold at the Asian Games.

Sun Yang (R) applauds to Park Tae-hwan after they finish competing in the 1500m freestyle swimming, with the result of Sun claiming the gold medal in the event during the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, Republic of Korea. /VCG Photo

Its national swimming icon Park Tae-hwan, the Beijing Olympics gold medalist in the 400m freestyle, won a total of 14 medals at the Asian games, but will not attend the games this year because of his poor form.

China’s diving team, with eight male and female athletes respectively, is the dominant squad in the event. Many of those on the team won golds at the FINA Diving World Cup that took place from June 5-10 in Wuhan, China.

The women’s platform diving events are the biggest challenge for the Chinese team, said Zhou Jihong, president of China’s Swimming Federation, “Because no golds were won at the last two tournaments.”

China's Chen Peina celebrates after claiming her silver medal in the RS:X class of the sailing event during the 2016 Olympic Games in the port of Marina de Gloria, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. /VCG Photo

In the sailing event, the Rio Olympics silver medalist Chen Peina, 29, is the favorite to win gold in the women’s event. In the men's event, 32-year-old Wang Chao is leading the team since he won gold at the 2015 World Cup sailing event in Qingdao.