Hangzhou Asian Games Opening... 4.6 Billion Festival Waited 5 Years

The 19th Summer Asian Games, postponed by one year due to COVID-19, spectacularly opened at 9 p.m. (Korean time) on the 23rd at the Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, the capital city of Zhejiang Province, China. After five years since the 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Games, a festival for 4.6 billion people across Asia has begun.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

On this day, Chinese President Xi Jinping personally attended the opening ceremony to welcome the delegations from various countries. Key diplomatic envoys visiting Hangzhou, including Han Duck-soo, Prime Minister of South Korea; Norodom Sihamoni, King of Cambodia; Bashar al-Assad, President of Syria; Mishal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Crown Prince of Kuwait; Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prime Minister of Nepal; and Taur Matan Ruak, Prime Minister of East Timor, were also greeted.

The athletes from the 45 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) belonging to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) entered the stadium in alphabetical order according to their English abbreviations. Afghanistan (AFG) entered first, and North Korea (DPRK), led by boxers Bang Cheol-mi and shooter Park Myung-won as joint flag bearers, entered seventh.

Goo Bon-gil (fencing) and Kim Seo-young (swimming), the joint flag bearers, led 100 South Korean athletes waving the Taegeukgi flag as they entered 16th. South Korea is sending its largest-ever delegation of 1,140 athletes and officials combined, aiming to win more than 50 gold medals and secure third place in the overall rankings.

North Korea dispatched 185 athletes across 18 sports. North Korea is returning to an international multi-sport event after five years through this competition.

After all the delegations enter over 40 minutes, concluding with the host country China, President Xi Jinping will declare the opening, followed by a 45-minute opening performance.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Eight Chinese sports legends, including legendary track coach Sun Haiping and diving legend Guo Jingjing, will carry the OCA flag, while six athletes, including men’s table tennis world number one Fan Zhendong and 2020 Tokyo Olympic swimming gold medalist Wang Shun, will serve as the final torchbearers, raising the atmosphere.

Hangzhou, proud to be the hub of China’s information technology (IT) industry, declared that this Games will be conducted as an eco-friendly, digital, and smart event. To reduce carbon emissions, the traditional fireworks that have marked the finale of opening ceremonies were canceled. Instead, cutting-edge technologies such as 3D digital imagery, augmented reality (AR), 5G mobile communication technology, and big data will be fully utilized to provide a unique experience. The torch relay will encompass both online and offline elements, and an online-exclusive platform for watching the competitions is a new attempt.

The Asian Games will enter the full medal race from the 24th across 54 venues in six cities of Zhejiang Province?Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Huzhou, Shaoxing, and Jinhua?and will conclude on October 8. Competing for 481 gold medals across 40 sports and 61 disciplines, 12,000 athletes from 45 NOCs will stand at the starting line, putting their honor and their countries’ pride on the line.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.