The 1958 Asian Games, officially known as the Third Asian Games (Japanese: 第3回アジア競技大会), was a multi-sport event held in Tokyo, Japan, from 24 May to 1 June 1958. A record total of 1,820 athletes representing 20 Asian National Olympic Committees (NOCs) participated in 13 sports divided into 97 events.[1] The tradition of the torch relay was introduced for the first time in the Asian Games,[2] and the Games cauldron was ignited by the first Japanese Olympic gold medallist and the first Asian Olympic champion in an individual event, Mikio Oda.[2][3]