Asian Games 2023 kick off with glitzy opening ceremony in Hangzhou, China
Pakistani shooter GM Bashir and Women Cricket team captain Nida Dar led a 262-member contingent participating in the games.
Asian Games 2023 kicked off on Saturday with a glitzy opening ceremony in Hangzhou, China.
The world witnessed the first-ever digital ignition ceremony in the Games’ history!
The 1st digital ignition ceremony in the Games’ history, at tonight’s opening of #AsianGames2023 .
A fusion of traditional Chinese style & modern technology, and eco-friendly. pic.twitter.com/msuNgky5k8— China in Pictures (@tongbingxue) September 23, 2023
The Games will be staged at 54 venues — 14 newly constructed — mostly in Hangzhou but also extending to cities as far afield as Wenzhou, 300 kilometers south.
Chinese President Xi Jinping made a special appearance at the ceremony, at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre in China on Saturday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday night declared the 19th #AsianGames open in Hangzhou, capital city of east China's Zhejiang Province pic.twitter.com/M7wtvMEOeI
— China Xinhua News (@XHNews) September 23, 2023
Amazing! A digital torchbearer lit the cauldron of #Hangzhou #AsianGames, completing the digital torch relay that has attracted millions of people worldwide to participate. The 1st digital ignition in the Games’ history, a fusion of Chinese style & modern eco-friendly technology. pic.twitter.com/0vOUUats92
— Hua Chunying 华春莹 (@SpokespersonCHN) September 23, 2023
🎇🎆🥳Less than 30 minutes to the opening ceremony of Hangzhou Asian Games！Let’s get a preview of the site tonight！#Hangzhou #AsianGames #HangzhouAsianGames #sports pic.twitter.com/F1d1PaWg3q
— Hangzhoufeel (@hangzhoufeel) September 23, 2023
We're being treated to a captivating showcase of cultural performances that celebrate Asia's vibrant heritage. ✨
2/3 pic.twitter.com/5VPvA3y19h
— Olympic Council of Asia (@AsianGamesOCA) September 23, 2023
Pakistani shooter GM Bashir and Women Cricket team captain Nida Dar led a 262-member contingent participating in the games.
The Pakistan contingent comprises 53 female and 137 male athletes, that will be competing across 24 different sports in the Asian Games.
Flagbearers 🇵🇰 captain @CoolNidadar and sports shooter G M Bashir lead the Pakistan contingent at the Hangzhou Asian Games opening ceremony 🤩
Best of luck team!#AsianGames pic.twitter.com/8sCco1HAbI
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 23, 2023
Pakistan Contingent to #AsianGames2023 in Hangzhou entering the stadium amidst a big applause of Chinese spectators. Best of wishes to our iron brother Pakistani athletes for achieve excellent performance all their 24 disciplines! pic.twitter.com/7dWsbVMUPn
— Zhang Heqing (@zhang_heqing) September 23, 2023
More than 12,000 competitors from 45 nations and territories will battle it out in 40 sports at the 19th Asian Games.
Notably, E-Sports is making its debut as a medal event at the Games, in what is seen as a step towards inclusion in the Olympics.
Regional specialties, including dragon boat racing, the Chinese martial art wushu, and kabaddi are also included in the 19th Asian Games.
For those unserved, the Games officially opened on Saturday, and sports such as football, cricket, volleyball, and table tennis had already begun.
A day earlier, Pakistan had overwhelmed South Korea in straight sets to advance to the quarter-finals of the men’s volleyball competition.
India and Pakistan’s women’s cricket teams on Thursday reached the cricket semi-finals of the Asian Games despite their matches being washed out in rain in Hangzhou.
