A drone show lights the sky above a stadium to mark the 30-day countdown to the opening of the Hangzhou Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, August 24, 2023. /CFP
From the arrival of athletes to the post-match award ceremony, press conference, and even the emergency treatment during the competitions, all the venues are ready for the Hangzhou Asian Games to officially open on September 23.
At the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Gymnasium, Hangzhou, a "Women's Table Tennis Team Final" test event was held on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Hangzhou Asian Games Command Center, various specialized command centers, sub-command centers, specialized work teams, and all competition venue teams and independent training venue teams conducted a comprehensive drill focusing on arrival and departure services, Asian Games Village operations, media services, event security, competition organization, and award ceremonies.
"During the Asian Games, the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Gymnasium will host table tennis and breakdancing competitions. The venue operations team continually fine-tunes every aspect to ensure that the venue's operations meet the requirements of the Asian Games," said Wang Xiaochen, a staff member at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Gymnasium.
A view of the Asian Games Village in Hangzhou, China, August 23, 2023. /CFP
Competition venues are the stages where athletes strive and showcase their talents. Recently, reporters visited some venues in cities such as Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou and Shaoxing where competitions will be held. The concept of "green," "intelligent," "frugal," and "civilized" is evident in the details. The facilities and staff are ready to welcome the upcoming Asian Games.
Located in Xiangshan County's Songlan Mountain tourist resort, the Ningbo Xiangshan Sailing Center is surrounded by two breakwaters embracing a tranquil inner bay. Sailboats set sail one after another, circumventing the lighthouse and heading toward the sea. As the only venue involving maritime construction for the Hangzhou Asian Games, this place will host its first match on September 20.
From completing venue construction projects and organizing tabletop emergency plan rehearsals, to conducting various rescue and evacuation drills, Yang Shengang, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Ningbo Xiangshan Sailing Center, explained that as the event approaches, various tasks at the venue become more intense and organized. "From August 29 to 30, through hosting a national team warm-up match, we engaged all aspects and personnel, testing all elements and truly examining the practicality of materials, processes and workflows," Yang said.
The only sea-based event venue for this Asian Games is in Ningbo. Given the complex marine meteorological and hydrological conditions, the Ningbo Meteorological Asian Games Support Team tailored a refined meteorological detection plan for the event. They upgraded detection equipment like the wind profile radar, helping the support team to provide precise monitoring and accurate forecasting for the Ningbo competition area of the Asian Games.
A view of the Olympic Center in Hangzhou, China, July 30, 2023. /CFP
At the Shaoxing Keqiao Yangshan Sport Climbing Center, several workers were adjusting the venue's lighting layout. "After testing, we reviewed and found that the original lighting layout needed adjustments. Additionally, we softened the lighting in the press conference hall," said Chen Yuefang, Deputy Media Commander of the Sport Climbing Center.
In the last week of August, the climbing track also underwent a "rebirth." "The climbing track is like an exam paper. We need to keep the actual climbing form confidential until the competition, so we rearranged the track layout." Chen explained that the newly arranged track will incorporate decorative elements, which will be removed before the official competition, revealing the real form of the track.
Chen said that the climbing center's capacity for each match is more than 500. After online ticket sales for the nine matches, nearly 5,000 tickets were sold in a short period. "We will be in the highest state of mind to serve the participants and welcome enthusiastic audiences from home and abroad," Chen said.
The concept of "intelligent" and "frugal" is consistently upheld in the construction of venues for the Hangzhou Asian Games.
One of the football venues, Wenzhou Sports Center Stadium, is a sports facility that has been in operation for over ten years, and local authorities have upgraded and transformed it to meet the requirements of the Asian Games.
"Lawn maintenance is key to maintaining football pitches. We use digital technology to achieve 'smart pitch care,'" said a staff member Chen Sheng at Wenzhou Sports Center Stadium.
Chen Sheng said that 18 sensors installed under the pitch collect data on the temperature, humidity, acidity and alkalinity of the grassroots, as well as the light intensity, sunshine hours and solar radiation on the surface of the grass. And the staff carry out targeted and efficient maintenance based on the collected data to ensure the pitch is in its optimal state.