Hangzhou Asian Games venues open as new fitness spaces to the public

The postponement of the Hangzhou Asian Games has seen the high-standard venues built for the 19th Asian Games gradually becoming new fitness spaces to the public.

At the end of June, the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre gymnasium, swimming pool, comprehensive training hall, Binjiang Stadium, Chun'an Jieshou Sports Centre, and other Asian Games venues were opened to the public. Now, these high-standard Asian Games venues are gradually becoming the new hot spots, creating a fitness trend across the province.

Two additional Asian Games venues in Hangzhou were also recently opened to the public - Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium and Tennis Centre. The venues have attracted people who come to exercise every morning and evening.

Up to now, more than half of the 56 competition venues and 31 training venues of the Hangzhou Asian Games have opened their doors to the public one after another, and some venues are bustling during prime time.

The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has this week advised that the Games will now take place from 23rd September to 8th October next year. This followed advice in May this year that because of the worsening COVID situation in parts of China that the Games would be postponed.

With China battling a rise in cases of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus, the host city of Hangzhou lies less than 200 kilometres from the country’s biggest city, Shanghai, which has endured long lockdowns as part of the ruling Communist Party’s zero-tolerance approach to the virus.

While the Hangzhou Asian Games are postponed, the atmosphere of the Asian Games has not weakened at all, and the people's desire for sports and fitness will not be "postponed". As these social-benefiting policies are carried out in the future, more and more people will be starting to enjoy sports as a way of life.