Hangzhou is ready!, All the conditions for hosting the competition are met

Photo by journalist Hu Jingyi

On the morning of September 20th, the spokesperson for the Hangzhou Asian Games made an appearance and the overall preparation press conference was held at the Hangzhou Asian Games Main Media Center. The reporter learned from the meeting that currently, the hardware construction of the Hangzhou Asian Games has been completed, the software layout is fully in place, and the conditions for hosting the games are fully met.

"We are ready to present the world with a 'Chinese style, Asian style, and splendid' sports event," said Chen Weiqiang, Executive Secretary General of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, Deputy Director of the Hangzhou Asian Games General Command Office, and spokesperson for the Hangzhou Asian Games.

Chen Weiqiang gave an introduction on the basic situation, competition organization, and service guarantee of the Hangzhou Asian Games. Among them, 54 competition venues and 30 training venues for the Hangzhou Asian Games have been fully completed and passed the event acceptance. "During the competition, Hangzhou will provide comprehensive service guarantees for accommodation, catering, transportation, culture, technology, medical care, and commerce for 30000 athletes, team officials, technical officials, and media personnel."

It is reported that 5 Asian Games villages and 3 athlete accommodation hotels for the Hangzhou Asian Games have started operating, and more than 5000 overseas participants have arrived.

As the largest, most diverse, and widely covered Asian Games in the history of the Asian Games, Chen Weiqiang stated that the schedule of the Hangzhou Asian Games began on September 19th and lasted until October 8th. "Nearly 12000 athletes have registered for the competition, covering all 45 Asian countries and regions' Olympic Committees."

Yesterday, four sports including football, cricket, beach volleyball, and volleyball started in 10 venues. Today, modern pentathlon and rowing will also start their first day of competition. At present, the torch relay for the Hangzhou Asian Games has ended in 11 cities and has returned to Hangzhou today. The final relay will begin at 9:30 am. At the opening ceremony on the 23rd, six torchbearers will light the main torch of the Asian Games in a digital and physical fusion with the digital torchbearers of the Asian Games.

In terms of service guarantee, the Hangzhou Asian Games provides a dedicated Asian Games train for spectators who need to watch across cities. In addition, the bus routes have increased their frequency and currently have 86 routes. At the same time, it has extended the service time of subway lines. "In response to the morning and evening rush hour, we have added 15 commuter lines and extended the operating hours of the subway during the morning and evening rush hour. Key lines will be operated during peak hours throughout the weekend."

Photo by journalist Hu Jingyi

At the press conference, three main spokespersons for the Hangzhou Asian Games appeared one after another, namely Chen Weiqiang, Executive Secretary General of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, Deputy Director of the Hangzhou Asian Games Event Command Office, Mao Genhong, Deputy Secretary General and Office Director of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, and Deputy Director of the Hangzhou Asian Games Event Command Office, and Xu Deqing, Minister of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee Propaganda Department and Executive Director of the Main Media Center.

It is reported that more than 11000 Chinese and foreign media reporters have registered for the Asian Games, and a total of 62 news spokespersons have been set up to provide information services to the media during the event.

[On site Q&A]

What is the overall ticketing situation currently? How can spectators who have not purchased tickets participate in the Asian Games?

Mao Genhong: The Hangzhou Asian Games consists of 40 major events and 61 sub events. Except for sailing, Go, chess, international chess, bridge, and other sub events, which are not suitable for organizing spectators to watch on site due to competition environment limitations, tickets for the other 56 sub events are sold to domestic and foreign audiences for public expenses.

The ticket prices range from 20 yuan to 1000 yuan. At present, the overall sales situation is very hot, and the audience's enthusiasm for participation is very high.

The official ticketing website was launched on July 8th, and as the countdown to the opening ceremony on August 23rd approached one month, offline ticketing booths also gradually opened. During this period, as most of the tickets have been sold out online, offline ticket booths have mainly provided services for ticket exchange or printing commemorative tickets. As of September 19th, the cumulative number of visits to the ticketing official website of the Asian Games, which has been running for 74 days, has reached 340 million.

May I ask how to better reflect the concepts of the Humanistic Asian Games and the Intelligent Asian Games in the process of organizing the competition?

Chen Weiqiang: Throughout the preparation process for the Hangzhou Asian Games, humanities are everywhere. Mascots, slogans, sports icons, etc. constitute the aesthetic system of the Asian Games. At the same time, the Hangzhou Asian Games fully utilize various elements such as literature, art, music, etc. to express and create a humanistic Asian Games. Create and launch a series of theme songs and short videos, including volunteer theme songs, torch relay theme songs, themed TV dramas, themed documentaries, etc.

"Intelligent Asian Games" is one of the organizing concepts of the Hangzhou Asian Games, which fully utilizes digital technology in both the preparation process and the stage of hosting. Not only has it launched a series of beloved digital products, but it has also launched an electronic identity registration card for the first time, making it convenient for athletes and technical officials to participate in the Asian Games.

The application of digital technology is an important component of the intelligent Asian Games. There are intelligent expressions at various ports of the Asian Games, including scheduling of events, venue transportation arrangements, weather forecasts, and food introductions.

Photo by journalist Hu Jingyi

Besides the competition itself, what other activities are arranged to enhance cultural exchange and friendship among athletes?

Mao Genhong: Athletes are the protagonists of the competition, and the Asian Games Village is the home of athletes in Hangzhou. We have arranged a variety of cultural activities outside the competition, mainly concentrated in the Asian Games Village. Including cultural exhibitions with Chinese cultural characteristics and Hangzhou regional cultural characteristics, as well as cultural markets where athletes can exchange ideas.

Photo by journalist Hu Jingyi

May I ask what preparations have been made in public health and medical security?

Mao Genhong: We have comprehensively done a good job in providing medical support for the competition, and have set up more than 40 designated hospitals, most of which are tertiary hospitals. Medical points have been set up on the sports field, comprehensive outpatient departments have been set up in the Asian Games Village, and four emergency rescue routes for aerial medical care have been set up. Especially for outdoor projects with a high probability of injury such as mountain public bicycles, medical helicopters and rescue points have been set up.

At present, there are a total of 133 medical rooms in the venue, 127 medical points in the core competition area, 83 spectator medical points, and 1884 medical staff providing medical support. A three-dimensional medical emergency network has been established, from the medical point medical room in the venue to the designated hospital in the comprehensive outpatient department of the Asian Games Village, and then to ambulances and helicopters for emergency transportation. The medical command system and collaborative guarantee mechanism have been established and improved, and drug and medical health guidelines have been issued to delegations from various countries and regions.

In terms of public health prevention and control, comprehensive monitoring and protection have been carried out for infectious diseases, drinking water, and public place hygiene. An intelligent infectious disease monitoring and early warning system has been established, including monitoring people with symptoms such as fever and diarrhea. Early warning and necessary medical treatment should be carried out as soon as possible. Through source control and precise strategies, environmental improvement and living environment improvement can be promoted, and the risk of infectious disease transmission can be reduced from the source.

Photo by journalist Hu Jingyi

Can you introduce the situation about language services and how to ensure that athletes communicate and participate in competitions without obstacles?

Mao Genhong: The Hangzhou Asian Organizing Committee has set up a language service center during the competition, which can provide 9 language services, including Chinese, English, Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Cambodian, Thai, and Vietnamese.

During the competition, volunteers mainly provide auxiliary services such as Chinese English translation. We also provide assistant accompaniment for members of the Asian Olympic family, technical officials, and other personnel.

Asian Games DingTalk, Intelligent Asian Games One Stop Service, etc. can provide intelligent online translation services. The Asian Games service hotline that can be called nationwide is 1258088, and Chinese and English consultations are also provided.

In addition to multilingual communication, we also conducted some sign language video consultation teaching. We will take a series of measures to compensate for the low proportion of multilingual staff and make it easier for athletes and other participants from various countries and regions to work and live in Hangzhou.

What challenges will be faced as the number of registered participants for this Asian Games has reached a historic high? What are the safeguard measures?

Chen Weiqiang: In order to entertain guests from all directions, in addition to the Hangzhou Asian Games Village, the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee also has 5 Asian Games sub villages and 3 athlete reception hotels, continuously expanding its reception capacity.

In addition, the Asian Organizing Committee has also made some adjustments to relevant reception policies. For example, it is recommended that athletes arrive three days in advance and not too early. After the competition, they should leave the designated accommodation location one day later, and of course, they can move to another place.

In terms of transportation, corresponding vehicle services have been added, and service routes have been expanded and adjusted. In addition to one main pathway port, there are also four pathway ports for promotion.

In terms of catering, we should consider the different tastes of athletes from different countries and regions as much as possible to make the food more delicious. In terms of food security, there is sufficient supply of ingredients such as beef and mutton, rice, dairy products, etc.

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