ASIAD 19 officially opens.

Báo Lao Động•23/09/2023

The opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD 19) took place on the evening of September 23rd.

21:05: The opening ceremony of ASIAD 19 concludes with a fireworks display using LED lights.

9:00 PM: The ASIAD 19 torch has been lit.

The torchbearer is athlete Wang Shun (swimming), a former Olympic gold medalist.

8:55 PM: The torch relay ceremony begins. China's leading athletes are carrying the torch into the torch stand.

The ASIAD 19 torch has been lit. Photo: Linh Hoang — The torch was officially lit. Photo: Linh Hoang

8:43 PM: The sports events of ASIAD 19 are introduced using lighting technology, followed by the appearance of the Games' mascots.

8:30 PM: Following the program is an elaborate artistic performance, combined with stunning lighting technology.

The artistic performances showcase the history, culture, and people of China over the centuries to international friends.

8:25 PM: The host nation's athletes take the oath at ASIAD 19.

8:23 PM: The organizing committee performs the flag-raising ceremony.

8:18 PM: Chinese President Xi Jinping declares the 19th Asian Games open.

20:05: Representatives of the Chinese National Olympic Committee, Head of the Organizing Committee of ASIAD 19, and the Asian Olympic Council delivered speeches at the opening ceremony.

7:59 PM: The Chinese sports delegation parades for the final time. At the 19th Asian Games, the host country participated with 887 athletes, the second largest contingent at the Games (after Thailand with 934 athletes).

7:57 PM: The Vietnamese sports delegation is marching in 43rd place. The flag bearers are athletes Nguyen Huy Hoang and Nguyen Thi Huong. At ASIAD 19, the Vietnamese sports delegation has 337 athletes competing in 31 sports (202 events).

The Vietnamese sports delegation. Photo: Duc Thien

7:35 PM: The sports delegations parade along a path created by light technology. The names of the delegations are also displayed on large LED screens in front of the stands.

7:12 PM: The sports delegations of the countries participating in ASIAD 19 begin their parade on the stage.

7:00 PM: The opening ceremony of ASIAD 19 begins.

The program began with spectacular performances, grandly staged and colorful.

The stage for the ASIAD opening ceremony. Photo: Screenshot from a video.

The opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games took place at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium (China), which has a capacity of up to 100,000 seats.

The theme of the opening ceremony of ASIAD 19 is "Towards Asia," aiming to showcase the cultural diversity of the 45 countries and territories participating in this year's Games.

Artistic performances at the opening ceremony. Photo: Duc Thien

The entire opening ceremony lasted approximately two hours, including welcoming rituals, parades of sports delegations, opening speeches, and the lighting of the Games torch.

Host nation China will showcase the unique cultural characteristics of the country in general, and Hangzhou – the city hosting the sporting events (except for women's football) – in particular to friends across the continent.

The highlight of the event was a high-class, visually stunning artistic performance, similar to the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

A view of the final rehearsal for the ASIAD opening ceremony on September 18. Photo: news.cgtn

Additionally, fans will witness millions of virtual sparks illuminating the sky. Each spark represents an online torchbearer. Eventually, these sparks will merge to form a human figure descending onto the stage to light the ASIAD 19 flame alongside a real-life torchbearer.

Previously, the organizers of ASIAD 19 announced that this year's opening ceremony would not feature traditional fireworks. General director Sha Xiaolan stated that the organizers wanted to spread the message of environmental protection and reduce carbon emissions as much as possible. Instead, spectators would witness a fireworks display using LED lights.

The opening ceremony of the ASIAD will feature performances by many famous Asian artists such as Jannine Weigel (Thailand), Hiroaki Kato (Japan), and Talia Lahoud (Lebanon).

The official song of ASIAD 19 is "The love we share". The mascots of the Games are the three robots Chenchen, Congcong, and Lianlian, who will appear at the ceremony.

The mascot of the 19th Asian Games. Photo: News.cn

The Vietnamese sports delegation attending the opening ceremony included the head of delegation, deputy head of delegation, officials, doctors, coaches, and athletes from the shooting, swimming, rowing, boxing, chess, fencing, esports, judo, tennis, and gymnastics teams.

The flag bearers for the Vietnamese sports delegation are athletes Nguyen Huy Hoang (swimming) and Nguyen Thi Huong (shooting).

The Vietnamese sports delegation participating in ASIAD 19 consists of 504 members, including 337 athletes, competing in 31 sports with 202 events. The target for Vietnamese sports is to win between 2 and 5 gold medals at this year's Games.

Laodong.vn