Soft tennis is among sports added to the 2018 Asian Games programme ©Getty Images

Roller skating, surfing and soft tennis are among 44 sports proposed for inclusion at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta and Palambang, it was announced today.

If finalised, this would make it the largest number ever to feature at the showpiece continental event.

A total of 39 full medal sports were proposed at the OCA Executive Committee meeting in Danang last September.

Since then skateboarding and surfing have been added, while roller skating and soft tennis were also put forward during today's meeting here.

Jet ski and paragliding were also listed separately today, whereas previously they were grouped together as "mechanical sports".

All 28 full Summer Olympic sports are set to appear along with baseball and softball, karate and sport climbing, the trio that like skateboarding and surfing are set to appear on the programme at Tokyo 2020.

Others proposed for next year's event are bowling, bridge, cricket, kabaddi, sepak takraw and squash.

One martial arts sport is also proposed, consisting of ju jitsu, kurash, sambo, wushu and pencak silat.

Jakarta 2018 was discussed during today's OCA Executive Committee meeting ©ITG
Jakarta 2018 was discussed during today's OCA Executive Committee meeting ©ITG

A record number of 42 sports appeared at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.

The programme was reduced to 36 sports at Incheon 2014 following decision at the 2009 OCA General Assembly in Singapore to have no more than 35 sports - 28 Olympic and a maximum of seven others - on the Asian Games programme.

It appears possible that the Jakarta 2018 total could still change, but not by dropping any of the proposed disciplines.

OCA honorary life vice-president Wei Jizhong pointed out today soft tennis would usually be considered a discipline of tennis rather than a separate sport.

The event, popular in East and Southeast Asia, is similar to tennis but sees players use soft rubber balls instead of hard yellow ones.

It has featured at the last six editions of the Games.

Wei also suggested to insidethegames afterwards that roller skating and skateboarding could be grouped together because they are both currently administered by one International Federation.

Surfing was not originally due to be on the Asian Games programme at Jakarta 2018 but has now been proposed and would be one of 44 sports ©Getty Images
Surfing was not originally due to be on the Asian Games programme at Jakarta 2018 but has now been proposed and would be one of 44 sports ©Getty Images

A special test event is due to take place in October and November. 

Around 15 countries will be invited to participate in 10 sports. 

Wei also expressed concerns about transport problems around the Gelora Bung Karno venue cluster at Jakarta 2018.

This is due to the narrow nature of the road, the Chinese official said.