COUNTDOWN. Zhejiang provincial party Secretary and Governor Li Liabhong (center) lights the flame to mark the 100-day countdown to the opening of the 19th Asian Games and 4th Asian Para Games in Hangzhou City on June 15, 2023. The Asian Games will be held from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 and the Para Games from Oct. 22 to 28. (Photo from China Radio International)
HANGZHOU, China – Zhejiang Governor Li Liabhong led the lighting of the 19th Asian Games’ flame on Thursday to mark the 100-day countdown to the opening of the region’s most prestigious sports fest.
Over 10,000 athletes and officials from Asia will participate in the quadrennial meet with 483 medal events across 40 sports at stake from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8. The Para Games was set from Oct. 22 to 28.
The countdown will further drum up the final preparations in time for the Asian Games and Para Games.
The final preparations will focus mainly on the aesthetics of the place as officials also assured the safety of the public and that of the athletes.
Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang province, is the venue for all the games with four separate areas to co-host the Asiad.
In a media briefing on Friday, officials of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC) said Renminbi (RMB) 339 million (PHP2.7 billion) has been allotted for the construction of the 13,000-square-meter Hangzhou Sports Center.
"We are 90 percent done with the preparation of the venue," an official from HAGOC told reporters from the China International Press Communications Center (CIPCC) and representatives of embassies Southeast Asia countries and the ASEAN-China Center (ACC).
The 5,000-seater main venue has a shape that resembles the frame of an oil-paper umbrella, one of Hangzhou's traditional handicrafts and part of the intangible cultural heritage.
Hangzhou Sports Center is just one of the 56 competition venues for the host of Asian Games that was postponed for one year due to Covid-19 pandemic.
With the place having roads at the periphery, part of the plan that will be implemented is a controlled use of the roads to avoid disturbing the matches, particularly for the blind football games that require silence.
Aside from the usual preparations for the infrastructure to assure the safety of the public and the athletes, foliage and landscaping are also being done to add to the aesthetics of the venue.
At least 52,000 volunteers have been recruited for the Asian Games.
There will also be artificial intelligence robots that will help in maintaining the cleanliness of the facility, according to the organizing committee.
Hangzhou is the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games, following Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010. (PNA)
