Delayed 19th Asian Games kicks off in Hangzhou

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Published: 24 Sep. 2023, 11:10 Updated: 24 Sep. 2023, 11:12

Delayed 19th Asian Games kicks off in Hangzhou

Flag bearers Kim Seo-yeong, left, and Gu Bon-gil parade into the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium during the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Saturday. [XINHUA]

The largest sporting event on the Asian continent is now officially underway. The 19th Asian Games kicked off Saturday night with a dramatic opening ceremony in Hangzhou, China.

Korean prime minister Han Duck-soo was among a list of foreign dignitaries who joined Chinese President Xi Jinping for the grandiose opening event.

A 90-minute performance full of light and orchestral music entertained a packed crowd at the 80,000-person large Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium where delegations of athletes and officials from each national team paraded their flags into the lotus-shaped arena.

It marked a stark difference from the subdued opening ceremony in Beijing last year for the 2022 Winter Olympics, which took place in the half-full 90,000-seat Bird’s Nest stadium built for the city’s Summer Olympics in 2008.

The theme of the ceremony on Saturday in Hangzhou was “Water in Autumn Glow” and featured dance performances on a backdrop of imagery telling Chinese history. The theme was a nod to the city’s water resources and significance as the endpoint for China’s Grand Canal, which weaves through several provinces and begins in Beijing.

“Hangzhou is synonymous with water,” reads one line in an official promotional video for the Games.

It’s the largest Games in Asiad history, which China delayed by one-year citing Covid-19 concerns, and more than 12,000 athletes from 45 teams across Asia are set to compete for medals across 40 sports.

The Korean delegation enters the arena during the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Saturday. [AP/YONHAP]

Korea sent a delegation of 1,140 athletes and officials and were the 16th team to parade into the stadium. Athletes donned all-white uniforms, waving Taeguki, as they entered to the sound of cheering fans.

The two official flag bearers were fencer Gu Bon-gil, who also carried the flag at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Brazil, and swimmer Kim Seo-yeong.

Gu, 34, will seek to defend his title as the three-time champion in men’s sabre, winning gold at three Games in a row. Kim, 29, is the reigning champion in the 200-meter individual medley after placing first in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Korea is expected to vie for 40 to 50 medals this year, seeking to improve from a disappointing finish five years ago. Korea has athletes in 39 of the 40 sports and is expected to dominate in the inaugural Esports tournament.

All eyes are on Korea’s Lee Sang-hyeok, a professional League of Legends player who goes by “Faker” and was greeted by dozens of fans when he landed at the Xiaoshan International Airport last week.

The Games carry additional stakes for 27-year-old Lee. If he brings home a gold medal, he will be exempted from mandatory military service.

That rule extends to all male Korean athletes including the young men’s football team, the two-time defending Asiad champions after winning gold in 2018 and 2014. The age-limit for men’s football at the Asiad is typically 23 years old but was raised one year due to the Covid-19 delay.

The first medal events on Sunday include taekwondo, swimming and shooting.

BY MARY YANG [mary.yang@joongang.co.kr]