Hangzhou organisers make final preparations for 19th Asian Games hosting

With the opening ceremony less than a month away, officials in the Chinese city of Hangzhou have advised that they are fully prepared to host the upcoming 19th Asian Games.

Postponed from its original dates in September last year due to the pandemic, the multi-sport event is scheduled to run from 23rd September to 8th October with organisers now focussed on venue readiness, management and operations.

Centred on Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province, the Games are being co-hosted with five other cities.

Advising that they have made solid progress to honour its promise of having a green, smart, economical and ethical Asian Games, Chen Weiqiang, Executive Secretary-General of the Games' Organising Committee (HAGOC) and Vice-Mayor of Hangzhou, told a news briefing at the end of last week “our volunteers are ready, and tickets for the event, which went on sale on July 8, are selling well both online and offline.

"There will be several rehearsals for the opening and closing ceremonies in September, and we are ready to receive athletes and guests from around the world after eight years of preparation."

Work to prepare all 56 competition venues and 31 training venues, newly built or renovated, has been finished.

The Asian Games Village, five Asian Games sub-villages and three reception hotels for athletes are ready to provide comfortable accommodation for athletes, technical staff and media during the Games, the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee.

With the Games approaching, organisers have been working closely with other departments to provide arrival and departure, transportation, food and medical services.

Zhu Qinan, HAGOC’s Director of Competition, advised that, as an example, 41 hospitals and 130 clinics have been set up at the venues.

Zhu added that, in preparation for the 12,417 athletes competing at the Games supported by 4,975 team officials, HAGOC will take advantage of its resources and work closely with different departments to make final preparations for hosting the Games.

The torch relay for the Games will start in the main host city Hangzhou on 8th September before being carried through cities across the province until 20th September.

While preparing for the Games, HAGOC made efforts toward the implementation of China's dual carbon goal, which is to peak carbon dioxide emissions before 2030 and achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.

Advising that the city will keep promoting green production methods and lifestyles, Ma Liyang, Director of HACOG’s Environmental Protection Department, explained “athletes are encouraged to choose green transportation, live a water and electricity-saving lifestyle, and be mindful of garbage sorting. They can even open low-carbon accounts in the Asian Games Village and accumulate green low-carbon points in exchange for green products.”

Images: The Stadium at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre that will host athletics events and ceremonies at the 19th Asian Games (top, credit: Shutterstock) and a girl plays with the Games mascots in Yanweizhou Park, Jinhua, a co-host city of the event in Zhejiang province (below, credit: Hu Xiaofei/China Daily).