CHINA - The closing ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou was considered short, but sweet and emotional.
As with every sports event, a highlight of the closing ceremony is the final torch extinguishing. Before this act, hundreds of performers gathered at the foot of the giant Asian Games 19 torch, dressed in everyday clothes, including special characters such as firefighters. Dozens of little girls in white dresses also sat singing, dancing and waiting for the "giant" to appear.
The CGI giant, made of a schoolboy, had also appeared to light the torch at the opening ceremony. This time, the giant appeared, cupping his hands over his head in a heart shape, for the girls to imitate. The torch then went out. The giant hesitated, before waving to the audience, and running away.
The torch was extinguished shortly after the giant and the girls made a heart sign, as a farewell, during the closing ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China on the evening of October 8, 2023. Photo: screenshot
Before the closing ceremony, director Sa Xiaolan explained that the purpose of the ceremony was to "convey the emotional message to everyone for meeting at the convention, not to emphasize the sadness of separation". The heart shape of the giant and the girls reflected the director's idea, as the heart symbolizes love. "The giant will create an emotional action, which we will keep secret until the ceremony", Mr. Sa said earlier.
Asian media also shared the same view as director Sa, saying that the closing ceremony was simple but full of emotion. Hong Kong newspaper SCMP commented: "Credit to those who created this program, because it was short but sweet and spectacular." South Korean newspaper Yonhap wrote: "The ceremony was well-arranged, without the usual pomp and circumstance of similar events, and lasted just over an hour." Meanwhile, the Times of India commented: "China has set a very high bar for the next host, Japan."
A girl sings the 19th Asian Games cheering song. Photo: Twitter
The emotional element of the ceremony is not only in what the organizers want to express, but also expressed by the athletes themselves. After the parade, the organizers spent about 10 minutes for the members of the delegations to interact and have fun right on the field. Some Vietnamese members played and pushed each other to the ground, while another person asked to take a souvenir photo with the 19th Asiad mascot. There were delegations such as Pakistan or Taiwan who gathered together and took a group photo with the performing artists. The director said that he wanted a romantic closing ceremony, instead of focusing too much on technology.
However, technology was also indispensable in the ceremony, because Hangzhou is considered the leading science city in Asia. Because the closing ceremony took place only 24 hours after the final event at Hangzhou Stadium ended, the large oval screen like the opening ceremony did not have time to be installed. Instead, the organizers came up with the idea of creating a digital field with more than 40,000 light points, becoming a giant color palette, and from a distance, it was no different from a large screen.
The giant lotus flower appears to float above the Hangzhou courtyard.
From this huge palette, the organizers created cultural animations and 3D images, such as giant blooming flowers. In a special chapter to honor athletes and volunteers, they created a giant digital lotus that seemed to float on the field. The video of the memorable moment of the 19th Asian Games also attracted attention with the image of an athlete hugging a host volunteer after winning. Athletes and volunteers are also two representatives that the host wanted to honor in the closing ceremony.
The closing ceremony, which has more than 2,100 performers, has been prepared since July 2023 and has undergone 200 rehearsals. The organizers promised the ceremony would last 90 minutes, and at the 90th minute, a series of electronic fireworks appeared, along with three mascots waving to the audience.
The slogan "Love Asia" appeared at the beginning of the closing ceremony of the 19th Asian Games. Photo: CGTN
The 19th Asian Games brought together more than 12,000 athletes from 45 teams competing at the Games, of which 41 teams won medals. The four teams that left China empty-handed were Bhutan, Timor Leste, Maldives and Yemen.
China topped the medal tally with 201 gold, 111 silver and 71 bronze medals. The host nation's gold medal tally was nearly four times that of runner-up Japan, and more than the next eight teams combined. China also broke the record of 199 gold medals it won at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. This time, they accounted for 41.7% of the 482 gold medals awarded at the Games.
Vietnam participated in the Asian Games with 504 members, including 337 athletes, competing in 31 sports. The team won 3 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 19 bronze medals, ranking 21st in the overall rankings, down four places compared to the previous edition. In terms of the region alone, Vietnam ranked sixth after Thailand with 12 gold medals, Indonesia with 7, Malaysia with 6, Philippines with 4 and Singapore with 3 gold medals and 6 silver medals. However, Vietnam also completed the set target of 2 to 5 gold medals.
Commenting on the Games after more than two weeks of competition, President of the Olympic Committee of Asia (OCA) Raja Randhir Singh called China "the perfect host", and the OCA "will never forget this Games". He also said that the 19th Asian Games was "an unprecedented success". Mr. Singh, who is Indian, spoke in English, but occasionally added a few sentences in Chinese, which made the audience cheer.
OCA President (left) hands the torch to Governor of Aichi Prefecture (Japan) Hideaki Omura. Photo: TOI
After declaring the Games closed, Mr. Singh handed over the OCA flag and torch to Governor of Aichi Prefecture (Japan) Hideaki Omura. The 20th Asian Games will take place three years later, in Aichi and Nagoya cities, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, from September 19, 2026 to October 4, 2026.
Hoang An
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