All 45 Olympic committees from Asian countries and regions to participate in Hangzhou Asian Games

All 45 Olympic committees from Asian countries and regions have registered to participate in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang Province, making it the largest delegation in history, official said at a press conference of the State Council Information Office on Wednesday.

The Hangzhou Asian Games, the largest and highest-level international comprehensive sports event held in China after the optimization and adjustment of the country's epidemic prevention and control measures, is of great significance. More than 900 Chinese athletes will participate in the Asian Games, according to Zhou Jinquan, Vice Chairman of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, Deputy Director of the General Administration of Sport of China and Vice President of the Chinese Olympic Committee.

All 56 competition venues (including those for the Asian Para Games) have been completed and passed the sports event function acceptance. The Asian Games Village and sub-villages are fully built and ready for occupancy. 

The main venue, the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, is currently one of three sports stadiums in China with a capacity of over 80,000 people. It will host both the opening and closing ceremonies of the Hangzhou Asian Games and the Asian Para Games, as well as the athletics competitions.

The Asian Games have assembled 41 competition venue teams, 30 non-competition venue teams, and 21 independent training venue teams. A total of 50,000 pre-hired volunteers are expected to participate. In addition, the event has opened its competition and training venues to the public before the games, attracting more than eight million people to participate in fitness activities. The Asian Games Museum has also been established to preserve the legacy of the Asian Games and promote the Asian Olympic spirit.

As of now, 42 Asian Games test events have been successfully held and 58 anti-doping inspection stations have been set up in the competition venues and Asian Games Village. A digital platform will be implemented to promote anti-doping policies.

In addition to traditional sports, the Hangzhou Asian Games will also feature esports and breakdancing as official events for the first time. Over 12,000 athletes from across Asia, 5,000 team officials, 4,700 technical officials, 12,000 media reporters, and millions of spectators are expected to participate, making it the largest scale games ever.

To enhance the experience for spectators and promote sustainability, the Hangzhou Asian Games has introduced a number of innovative technologies, including unmanned aerial vehicles, holographic images, 5G+8K, AI+AR, 360-degree viewing angles, and bullet-time effects. Projects such as autonomous driving, AR sign language robots, digital yuan, and cloud broadcasting have also been implemented, aiming to achieve an inaugural carbon-neutral Asian Games.

The events to mark 100 days countdown will begin on Thursday. The Asian Games flame will be ignited at the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu in Hangzhou and the official medals and music will also be unveiled.