The Asian Games.

Held every four years … somewhere in Asia.

The biggest world’s sports event that isn’t the Summer Olympics.

Something like 10,000 athletes, and closer to 13,000 people involved, when coaches and staff are counted.

The Asian Games are almost as big as the continent.

And the 2014 edition opened offically tonight, with a parade of nations and entertainment. The whole nine yards. Gangnam Style K-Pop king Psy (above) performed.

Why are the Asian Games largely ignored in the West?

Mostly because … the competition, while often intense, is not particularly good.

Aside from China, Japan and South Korea, Asia does not have countries you would associate with elite-level competitors in the mainstream Olympic sports.

Track and field is the most prominent example of the lack of elite Asian athletes. At the 2013 World Championships, 18 nations won at least one gold, but none of those 18 were from Asia. Thirty-eight countries won medals, including Djibouti and Uganda, but only three of the 38 were Asian countries. China won a silver and three bronzes, Qatar won a silver and Japan won a bronze.

The sports Asia tends to be good at, such as badminton and table tennis, often are not closely followed in the rest of the world.

The Asian Games lack much drama, which probably hurts attendance, because China overwhelms everyone else, pretty much, with what has been described as a Soviet-style sports program.

At the 2010 Asian Games, in Guangzhou, China, the hosts won 416 medals. South Korea was second with 232. China won 199 golds, nearly half the total of 447.

But, thing is, the Asian Games represent a great chance for the countries on this continent to win something at a big event.

Especially India, which has something like 1.2 million people but has only nine gold medals — total — in the history of the Summer Olympics. At the Asian Games, hoever, India will finish fourth or fifth in the table and win maybe 20-25 golds.

Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Taipei, Malaysia … are going to win a couple of dozen medals at the Asian Games.

The UAE has one Olympic medal at the Summer Games, a gold in shooting at Athens 2004. But in the Asian Games? Five medals in 2010 alone! Including silver in men’s soccer and equestrian.

So, the rest of the world doesn’t need to pay attention. But for those of us who live or work in the continent this is a pretty big deal, and we at The National will be on the lookout for successes, both in the UAE and environs.