The 16th Asian Games, part of the worldwide Olympic movement and governed by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) will begin November 12. The Asian Games are the second largest sports event in the world after the Summer Olympic Games.
At the ceremony of 100-day mark before the Games begin, Vice Mayor Xu thanked Guangzhou citizens for their constant support of and involvement in the preparations for the 16th Asian Games, saying, “the Games will prove to be a highly engaging sport and cultural gala.”
He added that Guangzhou has built substantial venues for the Games, including the futuristic Asian Games Gymnasium located at Asian Games Town.
Built at a cost of nearly US $118 Million (RMB800 million), the ultramodern Asian Games Gymnasium comprises stadiums for Gymnasium, Billiard Sports and Squash and an exhibition hall featuring the history of the Asian Games in Guangzhou. The gymnasium offers 6,000 seats, with 2,000 more to be added after the Games and has a gross floor area of 31,482 square meters.
Seven years ago, the land which today comprises Asian Games Town was filled with rice paddies and water buffalos. After the Games, it will be a brand new residential area for more than 35,000 people.
Vice Mayor Xu also pointed to the post-Games uses of venues reflecting lasting benefits for all Guangzhou citizens: Venues in the Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Centre including the new Velodrome and Cricket Stadium will greatly enhance the universities’ infrastructure for physical education; The Zengcheng Dragon Boat Lake will be a public park; The Guangzhou Equestrian Venue in Conghua will be used as a training base for the Hong Kong Jockey Club and is expected boost Conghua’s tourism and the Asian Games Gymnasium will be available to host basketball, volleyball and badminton competition as well as exhibitions and concerts.
Source: http://www.gz2010.cn/10/0804/17/6D8QOM7C0078002T.html
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