Asian Games: Simplicity, cost-effectiveness, climate the buzzwords as stage is set for grand opening ceremony

Hangzhou: With the theme for the opening ceremony centred around water and tide, showcasing the rich cultural heritage of China, Hangzhou will declare the 19th Asian Games open with a ceremony full of opulence and grandeur befitting the occasion.

Chinese President Xi Jinping will declare the games open on Saturday night in the presence of many dignitaries from participating Asian countries, International Olympic Committee (IOC) president Thomas Bach and senior Olympic Council of Asia officials led by acting president Randhir Singh of India.

While trying to make a grand statement through the opening ceremony, the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee has also implemented principles of conservation, making the Games and the opening ceremony economical and green as the organisers have “integrated the requirements of ‘simplicity, safety and brilliance’ into the preparation of the Opening Ceremony, and integrated the rich historical and cultural heritage of Zhejiang province and Hangzhou and the Asian Games elements into the Opening Ceremony, striving to create classic and wonderful moments”.

Yiqing Li, spokesman for the Organising Committee of the Hangzhou Asian Games, said, “The Opening Ceremony not only shows the long history of Chinese culture, but also shows the mutual learning and harmonious blending of civilisation between China and Asia, and China and the world.”

“We aim to create a green Asian Games. We have helped build the first carbon-neutral Games in the history of the Asian Games. For example, at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium, where the Opening Ceremony will be held, green methanol regenerated from waste carbon will be used as fuel for the main flare tower in the Opening Ceremony, ” Li said adding that the organising committee has also decided to have digital fireworks and will not set off physical fireworks. The multicoloured fireworks convey the green concept, and the virtual bloom can also achieve the real effect.

To maintain their aim of protecting the environment, the organising committee said the “main torch fuel of the Opening Ceremony uses zero-carbon methanol, which is the first time in the world, helping to build the first carbon-neutral Asian Games in history.”

Xiaolan Sha, the chief director and chief producer of the Hangzhou Asian Games Opening Ceremony, said as the theme of the opening ceremony is the most important thing and the charm of each city, they have picked the tide as the theme for the opening ceremony.

“I think the most representative charm of Hangzhou is the tide. Tide has always been associated with special meaning in Chinese culture. Tide is the tide of the Qiantang River, the leap of sports, the spirit of Zhejiang and the pulse of the times. Therefore, we take ‘Tide Rising from Asia’ as the general theme of the Opening Ceremony, implying that China in the new era is blending with Asia and the world, just like a tide,” he said at a press conference here.

“Through the presentation of three chapters of ‘national style and elegant rhyme’, ‘Qiantang tide’ and ‘walking together’, we show the bringing together of national style and the tide, the natural tide, the scientific and technological tide, the sports tide and the tide of the times,” he added.

Meanwhile, the organising committee and the Hangzhou City government have made elaborate efforts for traffic management, spectator amenities and for smooth functioning of all systems during the opening ceremony.

They have even made contingency arrangements in case the event is marred by extreme inclement weather. In case of heavy rain, of which the Hangzhou city has seen many spells in the last few days, the opening ceremony, will be transferred to the indoor basketball hall of Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre for a simultaneous live TV broadcast.

However, in their heart, the officials of the organising committee will be hoping that the weather does not play spoilsport and deny them a chance to showcase their programme fully as they integrate technology with nature.

–IANS