SAPPORO， Japan， Feb. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Winter Games in Sapporo didn't welcome a new medal winner country until the penultimate day of the week-long event. Two decades after it was launched in Sapporo， the Asian version of the Winter Olympics remains dominated by an elite club of a few countries.


The Democratic People's Republic of Korea won its first medal in Sapporo on Saturday to become the only fifth country on the medal table as Ryom Tae Ok and Kim Ju Sik finished third in the figure skating pairs event.


Ahead of DPR Korea are Japan， South Korea， China and Kazakhstan - the typical "Big Four"， as always.


The list is short - and embarrassing， to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA)， considering 30 Asian delegations are competing for medals.


As the largest ever Games in number of participating delegations， the Sapporo Asiad also welcomed Australia and New Zealand to compete as guests， not for medals.


Only 10 countries have touched medal in eight versions of the Games. As for gold， the number is down to eight which includes three one-timers.


DPR Korea's first and only gold came from the first Games in 1986 while Lebanon had one in 2003.


Uzbekistan claimed its sole Asiad gold in 1999 despite having reached the medal table four times.


With Asia set to host two straight Winter Olympics - PyeongChang in 2018 and Beijing in 2022， plus the 2020 Summer Games in Tokyo， the OCA is hoping the continent is living up to the billing as a hub of the Olympic Games.


OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah said he believed the Sapporo Games would open "a period of unprecedented growth" in winter sports throughout the continent.


The official expects China to play a bigger role in the popularization of winter sports.


"China is expected to introduce 300 million people to winter sports during this period， so the next few years are pivotal in establishing a vast， new winter sports scene outside of the traditional markets of North America and Europe，" he said.？


NEW DELHI Nike Air Presto Rouge Bordeaux Solde , Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- The local government in India's northern state of Uttar Pradesh has set up a committee to ascertain the lapses that have caused the deaths of 60 children at a medical college hospital, officials said Saturday.


According to the government, 60 deaths have taken place in the hospital during past five days.


The inquiry was ordered Friday night after local media reports quoting hospital authorities said 30 children died in the hospital due to lack of oxygen cylinders.


Meanwhile Solde Nike Air Presto SE Woven Grise , the local government denied deaths of the children due to lack of oxygen cylinders in the hospital.


Health Minister of the local government Sidharth Nath Singh said in a statement that 60 children have died in the hospital since Aug. 7 due to different diseases but not because of lack of oxygen cylinders.


"District magistrate of Gorakhpur has also initiated a magisterial probe to find exact reasons of children death," a government spokesman said. "The district magistrate is camping there to look into the matter."


Opposition leader and former Chief Minister of the state Akhilesh Yadav termed the incident as unfortunate and held the local government responsible for the deaths.


The ruling Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) is governing Uttar Pradesh.


India's main opposition Congress party chief Sonia Gandhi and party Vice President Rahul Gandhi have expressed deep shock over the deaths.


"My thoughts are with the families of the victims. The BJP government is responsible and should punish the negligent who caused this tragedy," Rahul Gandhi said.


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