Record Asiad raises the bar
All eyes on Hangzhou where the biggest-ever regional sporting gala is built on inclusiveness
With the biggest field of competitors in the event’s history, the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou uphold the values of openness, unity and harmony, with excitement levels hitting a peak as the Games opened over the weekend.
Recognized as the world’s largest sporting gala in terms of scale, a new chapter began on Sept 23 when all of the continent’s 45 national and regional Olympic committees — represented by a record total of 12,417 athletes — marched into Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium for the opening ceremony. They will compete in 481 medal events, another record for the Games.
The numbers speak volumes for the Asiad’s unifying power as perfectly embodied by the Hangzhou Games’ official slogan “Heart to Heart, @ Future”, said Raja Randhir Singh, the acting president of the Olympic Council of Asia, or OCA.
“The slogan by itself means everything,” Singh added during an OCA press briefing on the eve of the grand opening.
“It carries the message for the youth and for the world that we look for peace and harmony through sports. So, in that manner, you can’t get a better slogan than ‘heart to heart’.
“I think this is something that you should carry forward, not only in the world of sport but all over the world that we live in. This is the attitude that we would like to keep and we would like everyone to promote.”
With action in eight sports underway before the opening ceremony, the host’s exemplary preparatory work in all aspects — from the readiness of venues to the accommodation at the athletes’ village to the diverse cultural events on offer — deeply impressed participating delegations.
Malaysian athletes were enjoying their experience in Hangzhou even more than the Olympics, according to Dato Chong Kim Fatt, head of the Malaysia delegation.
“The sports world was stopped by COVID for a few years. Now the Hangzhou Asian Games allow us to move forward into a new era for the global sports community,” Chong said on Sept 22, following a ceremony at which the Malaysian delegation gifted cultural exhibits to the Hangzhou Asian Games Museum.
“At a meeting of chefs de mission two days ago, a lot of us agreed that Hangzhou is the best Asian Games ever, and could also surpass the Olympic Games,” said Chong, who is also a vice-president of Malaysia’s National Olympic Committee (NOC).
The fight for Olympic qualification quotas for next year’s Paris Games headlines a packed schedule of world-class athletic action across nine sports. The Hangzhou Asiad will also shine a spotlight on several youthful, fashion-oriented sports, including breaking, skateboarding, and esports, as well as some traditional and regional disciplines, such as sepak takraw, kabaddi, and squash.
The diversity of the Asian Games is the event’s biggest strength, said Wei Jizhong, honorary vice-president of the OCA.
“We are the Games for all Asian people, in all countries and regions. So the Asian Games are open to all NOC members of the OCA,” he said. “This means our Games are not only concentrated on elite sports but all the sportspeople and sports lovers in Asia are welcomed into our family.”