Hangzhou, China, April 25, 2023: Olympic Council of Asia Vice President Song Luzeng stressed the need for “good and timely communications” between all stakeholders in the countdown to the 19th Asian Games.
Mr Song, Chair of the OCA Sports Committee, was addressing delegates on behalf of the OCA at the opening ceremony of the Chefs de Mission Seminar at the Intercontinental Hotel in Hangzhou on Tuesday, April 25.
“In past years, the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee has overcome the difficulties brought by the pandemic and done their utmost in the preparations for the Hangzhou Games in order to ensure all the athletes and officials have a pleasant and memorable stay in Hangzhou,” he said.
“We are pleased to see that, with the concerted efforts of all the stakeholders, the HAGOC, the OCA, the National Olympic Committees, the Asian Federations and International Federations, the hard efforts of HAGOC have achieved great success.”
Mr Song, who is OCA Vice President as representative of the 19th Asian Games, added: “There are 151 days to go before the start of the Games, and the preparations for the Games have entered the final stage.
“Good and timely communications and cooperation between the HAGOC and NOCs and adherence to the policies and timelines set by the HAGOC and the OCA are crucial to the success of the Games.”
This is why the Chefs de Mission Seminar, with presentations and venue visits over two days, was the perfect platform for all 45 NOCs to become more familiar with the policies and procedures, Mr Song added.
The Vice Mayor of Hangzhou, Chen Weiqiang, said it had been a long journey and thanked the NOCs for their support and trust.
Chinese Olympic Committee Vice President Yang Shu’an said the Asian Games provided an opportunity to promote Asian culture and civilization and that Hangzhou 2022 would be the third time for China to host the Asian Games, following Beijing 1990 and Guangzhou 2010. He stressed that the Asian Games had the full support of the Chinese government, and that President Xi Jinping had personally stated that Hangzhou had the capability to host a successful Asian Games.
“There are 151 days to go, and we look forward to welcoming you all during the golden season of autumn,” said Mr Yang.
Zhang Jiasheng, Vice Governor, provided a brief outline of the history of Zhejiang province and Hangzhou city and said the vibe was increasing all the time.
The first session of the seminar covered Sports and Sports Entry, Doping Control, Competition and Training Venues, Accreditation (deadline May 20), Athletes Village and Sub-Villages, Accommodation, Food and Beverage, Transport, Freight and Logistics, Finance and Rate Card and Media Operations.
The 19th Asian Games will run from September 23 to October 8, 2023 with 40 sports, 61 disciplines and 483 events. There will be 54 competition venues, 31 independent training venues, one main Asian Games Village in Hangzhou and five sub-villages throughout Zhejiang province.