In a historic milestone, all 45 Olympic committees representing Asian countries and regions have registered for participation in the upcoming Asian Games in Hangzhou, East China’s Zhejiang Province. This remarkable gathering of athletes was announced during a press conference held by the State Council Information Office on Wednesday.
The Hangzhou Asian Games, hailed as China’s largest and most prestigious international sporting event since the optimization and adjustment of epidemic prevention and control measures, carries immense significance. Vice Chairman of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China, and Vice President of the Chinese Olympic Committee, Zhou Jinquan, confirmed that over 900 Chinese athletes will proudly compete in the Asian Games.
With the completion and successful function acceptance of all 56 competition venues, including those for the Asian Para Games, Hangzhou stands fully prepared to host the momentous event. The Asian Games Village and sub-villages have been meticulously constructed and await the arrival of participants.
At the heart of the sporting extravaganza lies the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, one of China’s three sports stadiums boasting a capacity exceeding 80,000 spectators. This remarkable venue will serve as the stage for the grand opening and closing ceremonies of the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Asian Para Games, in addition to the athletics competitions.
The Asian Games initiative has assembled an impressive contingent of 41 competition venue teams, 30 non-competition venue teams, and 21 independent training venue teams. An estimated 50,000 pre-hired volunteers are eagerly anticipated to contribute their services. Moreover, the event has invited the public to explore and utilize the competition and training venues ahead of the games, attracting an impressive eight million individuals to participate in fitness activities. A dedicated Asian Games Museum has been established to preserve the legacy of the event and foster the propagation of the Asian Olympic spirit.
As of now, 42 Asian Games test events have been triumphantly executed, accompanied by the establishment of 58 anti-doping inspection stations across the competition venues and Asian Games Village. To promote anti-doping policies, a cutting-edge digital platform will be implemented.
Breaking new ground, the Hangzhou Asian Games will introduce esports and breakdancing as official events for the very first time, expanding the sports repertoire. Over 12,000 athletes from across Asia, along with 5,000 team officials, 4,700 technical officials, 12,000 media reporters, and millions of enthusiastic spectators are expected to partake, making this the largest-scale edition of the games to date.
In a bid to enhance spectator experience and promote sustainability, the Hangzhou Asian Games has incorporated a range of innovative technologies, including unmanned aerial vehicles, holographic images, 5G+8K, AI+AR, 360-degree viewing angles, and bullet-time effects. Pioneering projects such as autonomous driving, AR sign language robots, digital yuan, and cloud broadcasting have also been implemented, with the goal of realizing a groundbreaking carbon-neutral Asian Games.
The much-anticipated 100-day countdown celebrations will commence on Thursday, featuring the ceremonial ignition of the Asian Games flame at the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu in Hangzhou, accompanied by the unveiling of official medals and captivating musical performances.
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