The Vietnamese sports delegation participating in the 19th Asian Games (ASIAD 19) consists of 504 members, including 337 athletes, 90 coaches, and 11 experts, competing in 31 out of 40 sports and 202 out of 483 events of the Games. The delegation aims to win 2 to 5 gold medals and also sets a goal of having many athletes qualify for the 2024 Olympic Games.
According to the organizers' plan, each parade contingent had one male and one female athlete representing them by carrying the flag. Nguyen Huy Hoang was one of the two athletes who carried the national flag at the head of the Vietnamese sports delegation during the opening ceremony of ASIAD 19. The other was shooter Nguyen Thi Huong. (Photo: Bui Luong)
What was special about the opening ceremony of ASIAD 19?
The opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games took place at 7 PM today, September 23rd, at the Hangzhou Olympic Stadium (China). The theme of the opening ceremony was "Towards Asia," aiming to showcase the cultural diversity of the countries and regions participating in this year's Games.
The entire opening ceremony lasted approximately two hours, encompassing traditional rituals such as welcomes, parades, opening speeches, and the lighting of the Games torch. The most anticipated highlight was the artistic performance of the opening ceremony. Host nation China was expected to create a high-class, visually stunning performance, similar to what they did at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium.
Sha Xiaolan, who was part of the directing team for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics, is the overall director of the opening event of the 19th Asian Games.
According to director Sha, the unique aspect of the 19th Asian Games opening ceremony was the absence of fireworks, even though fireworks are considered one of China's distinctive cultural features. The purpose of not using fireworks was to convey a message of environmental protection.
However, that doesn't mean the opening ceremony lacked color and highlights. It's envisioned to be a futuristic party based on digital technology .
During the opening ceremony, the organizers will showcase the long history and culture of Hangzhou city and Zhejiang province through vivid images based on glasses-free 3D technology.
The highlight of the program is millions of virtual sparks illuminating the sky. Each spark represents an online torchbearer. Ultimately, these sparks will merge to form a human figure descending onto the stage and lighting the ASIAD 19 cauldron alongside a real-life torchbearer. With the goal of protecting the environment, the fuel used to light the torch is zero-emission methanol.
Previously, China launched an online torch-lighting program. This event attracted over 100 million participants of all ages. The technical team used AI and other technologies to record movements, simulating each person's every movement in detail.
Mr. Sha Xiaolan stated that this was the first sporting event in the world to light a torch in this manner. This reflects the message of sports: to attract everyone, transcending spatial and temporal boundaries, and to allow participation regardless of nationality or race. He hopes this image will help build a global community for a brighter future.
The opening ceremony will feature performances by many famous Asian artists such as Jannine Weigel (Thailand), Hiroaki Kato (Japan), and Talia Lahoud (Lebanon).
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