HANGZHOU — The 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games which showcased China’s sporting extravaganza and exuberance on and off the sporting arena for over two weeks culminated into a romantic and touching closing ceremony to bid an emotional farewell to over 12,000 athletes from 45 nations, tonight.
The 75-minute show at the Hangzhou Olympic Stadium focused on the athletes for the sacrifices made in pursuing their sporting dreams and gratitude to the volunteers who assisted in the organising of the Games before the opening ceremony on September 23.
China’s technological evolution and over 2,100 performers played a crucial role in the ceremony, with the Asian Games’ first-ever digital turf turning the field into a giant colour palette shifting images, such as starry skies, flowers and waves displayed in a glittering way.
After the opening presentation themed ‘The tide of Qiantang River comes from heaven,’ the athletes and volunteers started to parade in with a loud welcoming cheer from the spectators in the 80,000-capacity stadium, also known as Big Lotus.
Karate exponent Muhammad Arif Afifudin Ab Malik, who won gold in the men’s under 84kg kumite gold, carried the Jalur Gemilang to lead 40 athletes from karate, kabaddi and ju-jujitsu and secretariat into the stadium.
Malaysia, represented by 288 athletes (188 males and 100 females) in 22 of the 40 sports contested, finished 14th with a 6-8-18 haul for a total of 32 medals, surpassing the targeted 27 medals.
After the closing speech by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) acting president Raja Randhir Singh and the Games declared closed, the OCA flag was lowered, and together with the Asian Games flag and torch, handed over to the representative of the next Asian Games hosts, Japan.
What followed was a cultural segment from Japan, which will host the 20th Asian Games, known as the Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
The momentous moments of the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games for the past 16 days were then revisited on the screen, before the famous digital torchbearer, who appeared for the opening ceremony, came in once again before the Games flames were extinguished.
Following the extinguishing of the Games Cauldron, the digital torchbearer set steps to leave the ‘Big Lotus’ while gazing back at the past wonderful memories, transforming into starlight, symbolising the eternal flame.
The spectacular ceremony ended with the final performance of the carnival song adhering to the principle of ‘No One Can Be Left Behind.’
China’s swimmers Qin Haiyang and Zhang Yufei, who each won six gold medals, were awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) of the Hangzhou Asian Games.
As expected, China continued its dominance as the overall winner of the Asian Games since 1982, but this time with a new benchmark by winning 201 gold, or close to 42% of 482 gold medals at stake, besides 111 silver and 71 bronze medals.
The next edition’s host, Japan, finished second with 52-67-69, followed by South Korea 42-59-89 in third. — October 8, 2023