NEW DELHI: It was 10 in the morning and the blue skyline of Hangzhou was covered with fluffy dark clouds on Thursday, with intermittent rains bringing down the temperature a bit.
Hangzhou, located in China's eastern part in Zheijang province, is known for its Buddhist temples, beautiful tea plantations and silk production. Old-timers call it a 'paradise on earth.'
The quiet city is now abuzz with the influx of visitors numbering in thousands. These are athletes, coaches, technical support staff and officials from different regions of Asia who have descended upon the city for the 19th edition of the Asian Games, beginning officially on Saturday.
The hotels reservations are almost running full with officials with various national contingents and tourists occupying the space on the sidewalks of city's lifeline, West Lake - surrounded on three sides by cloud-capped hills - which is thronged by players and coaches from participating nations since the Athletes' Village is located close by. A whooping 52,000-strong workforce of volunteers is ensuring that the visiting delegates have a hassle-free experience during the Games.
More than 12,500 athletes from 45 countries have assembled in Hangzhou to compete for 481 gold medals on offer across 61 disciplines in 40 sports. The numbers of athletes has surpassed the previous Asian Games record of 11,300 set at Jakarta in 2018.
The Games, to be organised between September 23 and October 8, will be held in 54 competition venues located across Hangzhou and five co-host cities including Ningbo, Wenzhou, Jinhua, Shaoxing, and Huzhou. The multisport event was delayed by a year because of China's strict zero-Covid policy.
"We are happy that the Games are happening for the third time in China (Beijing 1990 and Guangzhou 2010). It's a proud moment for our country," said Xi Chongjin, a volunteer posted at Block 2 of the Media Village.
The language barrier between Chinese-speakers and English-speakers has always been a problem for visitors. But, this time, the organisers have done well to ensure that some of the volunteers stationed at every venue know working English.
The city administration has marked dedicated lanes for ferrying athletes, coaches and mediapersons from one venue to another, without disturbing the normal traffic flow.
