Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the 19th Asian Games open at a colorful ceremony in Hangzhou on Saturday, launching a two-week sporting extravaganza that boasts more athletes than the Olympics.
After being delayed by a year because of China’s now-abandoned zero-COVID policy, more than 12,000 competitors from 45 nations and territories will battle it out in 40 sports.
In front of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and other visiting leaders, Xi officially opened the Games at the 80,000-capacity Hangzhou Olympic Stadium, also known as “the Big Lotus”.
The mascots freely shuttle between the LED ground display and the suspended vertical LED screens, while Congcong, Lianlian, and Chenchen joyfully play music on a piano made of waves., grabbing the spotlight.#Hangzhou #AsianGames #LED #Mascots #HangzhouAsianGames #GoMascotsGo pic.twitter.com/iDwTlcP7jD
— 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 Official (@19thAGofficial) September 23, 2023
The Games will be staged at 54 venues – 14 newly constructed – mostly in Hangzhou but also extending to cities as far afield as Wenzhou, 300 kilometers (180 miles) south.
The Games in Hangzhou, a city of 12 million people an hour’s bullet train from Shanghai, will showcase some of China’s latest tech including robot dogs, driverless buses and facial recognition.
