The Asian Games closed their 16-day run on Sunday at the 80,000-seat Olympic Sports Center Stadium with host nation China again in command as Premier Li Qiang ended a show aimed partly at winning the hearts of Asian neighbors.
The 19th Asian Games — they began in 1951 in New Delhi, India — were a celebration for Hangzhou, a city of 10 million, the headquarters of Alibaba.
“We have achieved the goal of a streamlined, safe and spectacular games,” spokesperson Xu Deqing said on Sunday. State media reported the spending to prepare for the games at approximately $30 billion.
Vinod Kumar Tiwari, the acting general secretary of the Olympic Council of Asia, called them “by far the largest ever Asian Games.”
The secretary general of the organizing committee, Chen Weiqiang, characterized this version of the Asian Games as a “branding” campaign for Hangzhou.
“The city of Hangzhou has been fundamentally changed,” he said. “It is fair to say the Asian Games are a key driver for the takeoff of the city.”
These were bigger than any previous Asian Games with almost 12,500 competitors. Next year’s Paris Olympic will have about 10,500, similar to the Asian Games in 2018 in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the forecast for 2026 when the games move to Nagoya, Japan.
Post time: Oct-09-2023