Press conference on preparations for Hangzhou Asian Games & Asian Para Games

The State Council Information Office holds a press conference on preparations for the Hangzhou Asian Games and Asian Para Games.

Here are some of our key preparations:

(1) An efficient and effective command system has been put in place, ensuring smooth progress in all aspects of our Games preparations.

Hangzhou 2022 carries particular significance for the nation as it will be the largest and most high-profile international multi-sport event held in China following the changes made to and optimization of the country's Covid-19 prevention and control measures. Since being awarded hosting rights, HAGOC has fully understood and followed General Secretary Xi Jinping's instructions. Following the strong leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, the comprehensive guidance received from the General Administration of Sport of China and the China Disabled Persons' Federation, and with the support of the relevant State ministries and commissions, Zhejiang Province has fully embraced the responsibility of meeting the high expectations of General Secretary Xi Jinping, when he said that "the Chinese government is convinced that Hangzhou is fully capable of hosting a successful Asian Games". We are fully committed to delivering a "Streamlined, Safe and Splendid" sporting event, and sparing no effort in stepping up progress in every area of our Games preparations.

As mentioned, an efficient and effective management structure has been set up as part of our preparations for both the 19th Asian Games and the 4th Asian Para Games. The State Council created a Steering Group to oversee both events and handle all issues and matters related to preparations for these Games collectively Hangzhou 2022. The CPC Zhejiang Provincial Committee and the People's Government of Zhejiang Province also formed a Steering Group for Hangzhou 2022. By strengthening leadership, the CPC and administrative bodies at all levels of government have been able to move forward all areas of preparations for both events. A province-wide initiative was launched to enhance these preparations. The initiative, that aims to improve urban life and governance, has drawn on the resources of the entire province bringing everyone together as one, to work to make this national and provincial undertaking a great success. Hangzhou has established a Main Operation Centre for the Hangzhou Asian Games and Hangzhou Asian Para Games that comprises one office and fifteen command centres, while the co-host cities of Ningbo, Wenzhou, Huzhou, Shaoxing and Jinhua have established their own operations sub-centres. As paying close attention to sports and venuisation, the organisers have assembled professional operation teams of high-calibre and efficient staff at each of the Hangzhou 2022 venues.

(2) New sports have been included in the Sports Programme; Venues have been opened to the public ahead of the Games.

The Sports Programme for the Hangzhou Asian Games features 40 sports, 61 disciplines and 483 events, with Esports and Breaking competitions being held at an Asian Games for the first time. The Competition Schedule (Version 2.1), Sport Technical Handbooks (Version 2.0) and Competition Schedule by Session have already been completed. A total of 1,891 international technical officials have already been appointed. Entry by Number has been completed and Entry by Name is now underway. To date, 66 test events have been successfully held. A total of 58 Doping Control Stations have been set up in competition venues and the Asian Games Village. It is expected that this edition of the Games will have an unprecedented number of participants, including more than 12,000 athletes, 5,000 team officials, 4,700 technical officials and 12,000 media professionals from across Asia, as well as millions of spectators around the globe following the event.

To date, all 56 competition venues (including those for the Hangzhou Asian Para Games) have been completed, passed functional inspections and been accepted. The Asian Games Village and Athletes Sub-villages are complete and ready to accommodate guests. The main venue for the Games, the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, is one of only three stadiums in China that have a capacity of more than 80,000 people. The stadium will be host to the Opening and Closing Ceremonies of both Games, as well as the Athletics competitions for the Hangzhou Asian Games. To date, HAGOC has assembled 41 competition venue teams, 30 non-competition venue teams and 21 independent training venue teams, and recruited 50,000 Games Volunteers. Following the postponement of the Games last year, HAGOC set a precedent in China by opening up the competition venues and training venues to the public before the event. So far, there have been more than 8 million visits by people to the venues to take part in fitness activities. As well as this, building works on the Asian Games Museum are now complete. The museum is now operating and aims to preserve the legacy of the Asian Games and further the Olympic Movement in Asia.

(3) Major events are meticulously organised to reshape the "Asian Games brand"

To produce the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, a creative team led by directors Lu Chuan and Sha Xiaolan has been assembled. They have developed performance plans for the ceremonies, including an extensive repertoire of 109 pre-show performances. For the torch relay, a pool of 30 candidates to act as flame ambassadors has been identified. The selection process for flag raisers, flag bearers, flame escorts, and torchbearers is currently underway. The pre-show programme for the Flame Lighting Ceremony has been curated, and a demonstration video of the pre-show programme has been produced. The emblems, mascots, slogans, sports pictograms, official sports uniforms, torch design, official posters, ceremonial uniforms, and medals of Hangzhou 2022 have been successively released. An Asian Games Channel has been launched, featuring Asian Games promos and Chinese-English bilingual TV specials such as "The Road to Hangzhou 2022". Additionally, celebrations including the call for and release of outstanding musical works have been meticulously planned for milestones including the one-year countdown and 100-day countdown. Thematic activities such as the "Asian Games 10 Cities Tour", "Asian Games Fun Run" and "Publicity of the Asian Games in Four Kinds of Places" have been organised, spanning over 30 cities at home, abroad, and throughout the province.

HAGOC is committed to building a "smart" service system for Hangzhou 2022 from the perspectives of Games hosting, participation and spectating. To this end, we have launched the "SMART HANGZHOU 2022" platform to provide smarter, more convenient one-stop services for athletes and spectators in 18 user scenarios across six activities, including: ticketing, catering, accommodation, transport, travel, and shopping. As well, we have launched the "digital torch", the first-ever digital merchandise piece in the history of the Asian Games, and initiated the world's first "Asian Games Online Torchbearer" programme.

(4) With service plans further refined, Hangzhou welcomes visitors from all around the world as the "Paradise on Earth"

The Chefs de Mission Seminar of Hangzhou Asian Games was successfully held in April 2023. During the Seminar, NOC delegations visited the competition venues and the Athletes Village, reached a consensus on the policies for sport-related services, accreditation, arrivals and departure transportation, accommodation, and catering, expressing high praise for the preparatory work. Based on the feedback from the delegations, HAGOC further refined its service plans to provide considerate services, including accommodation, catering, transport, logistics, and medical care for delegations from across Asia. In addition, a total of 50,000 Games Volunteers will contribute their professional skills and enthusiasm to support the Hangzhou Asian Games and Hangzhou Asian Para Games.

In line with the principle of "Asian Games Shared by All", all competition and training venues of the Hangzhou Asian Games and Hangzhou Asian Para Games have been open to the public. These venues have received more than 8 million visits for fitness purposes. Hangzhou has launched a comprehensive initiative aiming to enhance urban life and governance in preparation for the Asian Games. To this end, the city has organised more than 10,000 activities under the "Publicity of the Asian Games in Four Kinds of Places" campaign, along with actions to build a "Clean City" and develop four scenic routes named "Beautiful Homeland", "Intimate Streets and Alleys", "Smooth Transport", and "Blooming Hangzhou". These efforts echo the main theme of "being the good host to a successful Asian Games". Furthermore, a 516-kilometre rail transit network and a 480-kilometre expressway network have been completed and 39 entrances to the city and 215 commuting roads have been upgraded for the Asian Games. Hangzhou is making comprehensive efforts to beautify every corner of the city, welcoming visitors from all over the world with its unique charm as the "Paradise on Earth".