TTT NEWS SERVICE
KOLKATA, 20 JULY
The 19 th Asian Games, which was supposed to be held from 10 September to 25 September this year has been deferred to September 23 to 8 October 2023, according to Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).
The Asian Games was postponed in May this year due to the rapid outbreak of covid 19 in and around the host city of Hangzhou in China. The main venue is Hangzhou Sports Park.
The OCA, after announcing the postponement of the 19 th Asian Games on 6 May, had said that very soon the new dates will be announced. The opening ceremony will be held on 23 September 2023.
The 19 th Asian Games will be held in China for the third time after the capital Beijing hosted in 1990 and then Guangzhouu hosted in 2010.
The construction of all venues and facilities for the Asian Games was completed in April this year. The concept of the Hangzhou Asian Games is’ green, smart,economical, ethical’, and promotes carbon neutral Asian Games villages by setting up carbon neutral forests.
Hangzhouu is located about 200 kilometres away from the financialcapital of China, Shanghai. It has a population of 12 million people in Eastern China and about 10,000 participants from all over Asia was
supposed to participate in about 56 disciplines.
China, where the first covid -19 pandemic cases have been broken in the world at Wuhan, has been determined to adhere to a zero covid strategy , forcing severe lockdowns, measured isolations and mass
testing programmes even while other nations begin to resume as the danger of the pandemic retreats.
Some events though are scheduled to be held at neighbouring cities of Ningbo, Wenzhou, Huzhou, Shaxing and Jinhua.
“ The task Force over the last two months held various discussions with the Chinese Olympic Committee , Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee and the stakeholders to find a window for the Games which did not conflict with other major international events. The recommended date of the Task Force was duly approved by the Olympic Council of Asia Executive Board ( OCA EB),” according the press release statement.
The 18 th Asian Games was held at Jakarta and Palembang in Indonesia from 18 August to 2 September in 2018.
China bagged the highest medals with 288 numbers including 131 gold, 92 silver and 65 bronze medals followed by Japan with 204 medals including 74 gold, 56 silver and 74 bronze medals, while South Korea
became third with 177 medals including 49 gold, 58 silver and 70 bronze medals.
The 20 th Asian Games is scheduled to be held at Nagoya of Japan from 19 September to 4 October 2026. Nagoya will be the third Japanese city to host an Asian Games after Tokyo in 1958 and Hiroshima in 1994.
The first Asian Games was held in New Delhi in India in 1951. So far nine countries have hosted Asian Games.
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