Hangzhou, China, April 25, 2023: The first day of the two-day Chefs de Mission Seminar for the 19th Asian Games continued with a venue tour on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 25.
The tour took in the new Hangzhou Asian Games Museum, the main stadium, tennis centre and aquatic sports arena within the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, and the Athletes Village.
Delegates were impressed with the space-age design of the stadiums, the competition arenas and the seating arrangements. This was particularly evident in the gleaming new aquatics centre, which will host the swimming, diving and artistic swimming and has a capacity of 6,000 spectators.
The Athletes Village will accommodate 10,400 athletes and officials and the delegates viewed several service areas within the village, including the accommodation for athletes and team leaders, the dining hall with a capacity of 4,200 people, the sports information centre and the fitness centre gym and pool.
The experienced Chef de Mission of the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council, Umi Karim, summed up the tour in one word: “Impressive”.
This is her fourth time as CDM, including the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, and she commented: “These are world-class facilities. China hosted the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008 and I think they are capable of hosting the Olympics again here in Hangzhou.
“The presentations in the morning were very clear and comprehensive and that is why not a lot of people were asking questions. They provided a lot of details and know what they are doing.”
The afternoon tour started at the new Hangzhou Asian Games Museum which traced the history of the Asian Games and displayed memorabilia and star athletes.
Umi Karim, who is the Director of Youth and Sports in Brunei, said the technology and digital effects provided a viewing treat in the museum.
“Having seen this, I am sure the opening ceremony of the Asian Games will be huge and have a great impact on everyone,” she said.
The main stadium, nicknamed “Big Lotus”, will host the opening ceremony on September 23 and the closing ceremony on October 8, as well as the athletics competition. It has a capacity of 80,800 and is located just 4.1km from the Athletes Village.
The Chefs de Mission Seminar will continue on Wednesday with a morning tour of competition venues outside the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre, followed by organising committee presentations in the afternoon.