Hangzhou, China, July 27, 2023: The Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee will “strive for perfection” in the final weeks of preparation for the 19th Asian Games.
This was the message from two of the most prominent sports leaders of HAGOC during the Technical Delegates Conference at the Grand Parkray Hotel in Hangzhou on Wednesday, July 26.
The Executive Secretary General of HAGOC and Deputy Mayor of Hangzhou Municipal Government, Chen Weiqiang, told the technical delegates that Hangzhou was in the final stages of preparation for the September 23 to October 8 Asian Games.
He said that the wide range of competition venues had been open to the public for some time, proving the enthusiasm of the local people, and that 52 test events had been conducted, with the final one set for this weekend.
“In addition, we have constantly reviewed and improved several important areas such as arrival and departure, transportation and medical services,” said Deputy Mayor Chen.
He added that the 100-day countdown celebrations had been accompanied by the unveiling of the medals for the Asian Games, and that the early batches of 365,000 tickets on sale online for 20 events had sold out.
“With 59 days to go, we are working hard to deliver a safe, orderly, wonderful and successful Asian Games,” he said.
“As well as the Technical Delegates Conference and the Team Draw Ceremony, we will be organising one-on-one exchanges. We will listen to all your suggestions and strive for perfection,” he concluded.
The Deputy Minister of the General Administration of Sport in China, Vice President of HAGOC and Vice President of the Chinese Olympic Committee, Zhou Jinqiang, said the eight years of preparations since being awarded the 19th Asian Games in 2015 had resulted in the construction of new stadiums as well as an upgrade in city infrastructure.
“The preparations are in the final stage and we are making more efforts to strive for perfection,” he said.
“Through this Technical Delegates Conference, we aim to integrate the various aspects of operations and fill in the gaps where necessary.
“We believe that the success of this meeting can lay solid foundations for the success of the Asian Games.”
The technical delegates for the 40 sports, 61 disciplines and 483 events heard that the final competition schedule would be released in late August.
Also, the 54 competition venues would be supported by 31 independent training venues for 22 sports disciplines, and that the venues would open September 16 – one week before the opening ceremony on September 23.
Arrival and departure services will begin from September 9 and run to October 11 – a total of 33 days.
The Technical Officials Village (TOV) will be in the main Asian Games Village complex, 22km from Hangzhou International Airport, and will accommodate 3,800 people in 1,131 apartments. There are 16 buildings in two zones, and the buildings range from 11 floors to 32 floors. The dining hall can accommodate 1,300 people at one sitting.
The TOV will open on September 13 and will be complemented by designated hotels for technical officials in Tonglu, Chun’an, Lin’an, Xiangshan in Ningbo, Wenzhou, Shaoxing and Jinhua.