HANGZHOU marked the 100-day countdown to the opening of the 19th Asian Games on Thursday with the lighting of its flame at a ceremony in the Liangzhu ancient city, a United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage Site. The torch relay will take place in September and culminate in lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony Sept. 23. Despite the one-year postponement of the Asian Games, Hangzhou is prepared to host the greatest multi-sport event in the world after the Olympic Games, making Asia proud. In 100 days, over 10,000 athletes and officials from across the continent will converge in Zhejiang Province, East China, to compete in 483 medal events across 40 sports. Hangzhou is the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games, following Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010. Building on China’s experiences from previous Asian Games and the 2008 and 2022 Olympics, the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC) has been making orderly preparations despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. All 56 competition venues were completed by the end of March last year, and more than 40 test events have been held since April to address any issues with playing conditions and infrastructure readiness. The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center cluster is arguably the most visually stunning of all the new venues built for the Asiad. The main stadium, nicknamed the “Giant Lotus” due to its lotus flower design, will host the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as track and field competitions. The center’s most eye-catching venue is a butterfly-shaped building that combines an aquatics arena and a gymnasium. With a focus on the concept of a “Smart Asian Games,” HAGOC has utilized cutting-edge technologies such as cloud computing and artificial intelligence in various areas, including security, ticketing, transportation and logistics. Meanwhile, approximately 52,000 volunteers have been recruited for the Asian Games. They will assist at competition venues as well as Games-related sites, such as the Athletes’ Village, the Main Press Center, training venues, and transport hubs, after receiving general and specialized training for their roles. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) coordination committee visited Hangzhou in March, after which OCA director general Husain Al-Musallam affirmed that “the city is ready now.”(Xinhua) | 