Xinhua
25 Sep 2023, 21:35 GMT+10
The opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games was an impressive display, having a wonderful presentation of culture, technology, modernity, and showing respect for the guests.
BEIJING, Sept. 25 (Xinhua) -- The opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games, held in Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, on Saturday evening, was a fantastic showcase of China's vitality and a remarkable presentation of culture, technology, and modernity, experts worldwide have said.
The following are some of the highlights of their comments.
-- The Hangzhou Asian Games serve as a significant platform for China and other participators to highlight their cultural contributions to the world and promote the appreciation of their unique cultures and arts, said Anna Malindog-Uy, vice president of the Manila-based think tank Asian Century Philippines Strategic Studies Institute.
-- The grand occasion of the games reflects China's vitality in all aspects, and the enthusiastic participation of people reflects the cohesion of this country, said Mubarak Al Dosari, director of the sports department of the Al-Arab Newspaper and general manager of the Salmiya Sports Club in Kuwait.
The opening ceremony utilized a lot of digital technology, which was very intelligent, especially the most exciting lighting of the main torch. It broke the tradition of a single torchbearer lighting the main torch, and the "online torchbearer" and the on-site torchbearer lit the main torch together, he said.
This marked the first-ever lighting ceremony in the history of the Asian Games that combines virtual reality, the expert added.
-- The opening ceremony of the Asian Games was an impressive display, having a wonderful presentation of culture, technology, modernity, and showing respect for the guests, said Faizan Lakhani, sports analyst and deputy editor of Sports at Geo News in Pakistan.
The use of modern technology to display electronic fireworks has cut the emission of carbon and also given new trends and messages to the world to tell them how modern technology can help us save our environment from carbon and other emissions, the expert noted.
The Pakistani squad was warmly welcomed by the Chinese crowd, which was an open display of love and brotherhood that the two nations have for each other, Lakhani noted.
Sports always play a vital role in connecting people in the world, said the expert, noting that players, officials, and management personnel are living in the sports village, and this atmosphere would help them connect and understand each other, and create harmony, and this get-together will give a message to players and people from Asian countries that we can develop and be happy together.
-- The Asian Games are an important platform for promoting unity among countries in Asia and strengthening cultural exchanges and mutual learning, Samir al-Musawi, head of the Iraqi delegation to Hangzhou, told Xinhua.
Delegations from 45 Asian countries and regions have gathered at the Hangzhou Asian Games Village, where they will spend over a dozen days together, exchanging ideas and cultures, and gaining insights into different customs, traditions, and languages, said the Iraqi expert.
The Asian Games create a positive atmosphere for enriching cultural exchanges among different countries and regions, undoubtedly greatly contributing to global cultural exchanges and mutual learning, he added.
Get a daily dose of Philippine Times news through our daily email, its complimentary and keeps you fully up to date with world and business news as well.
Publish news of your business, community or sports group, personnel appointments, major event and more by submitting a news release to Philippine Times.
More InformationMOSCOW, Russia: Just hours after his sudden dismissal by President Vladimir Putin, Russia's former transport minister, Roman Starovoit,...
DHARAMSHALA, India: The Dalai Lama turned 90 on July 6, celebrated by thousands of followers in the Himalayan town of Dharamshala,...
ZAGREB, Croatia: A massive concert by popular Croatian singer Marko Perković, known by his stage name Thompson, has drawn widespread...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Elon Musk's entry into the political arena is drawing pushback from top U.S. officials and investors, as his decision...
CULVER CITY, California: TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale...
WASHINGTON, D.C.: President Donald Trump claimed he was unaware that the term shylock is regarded as antisemitic when he used it in...
LONDON, U.K.: This week, BP appointed Simon Henry, former Shell finance chief, to its board as a non-executive director effective September...
OTTAWA, Canada: With Canada Post struggling to maintain operations amid labour unrest, rivals like FedEx and UPS are stepping in to...
NEW YORK, New York - U.S. and global markets showed a mixed performance in Tuesday's trading session, with some indices edging higher...
PARIS, France: French military and intelligence officials have accused China of orchestrating a covert campaign to damage the reputation...
NEW DELHI, India: Birkenstock is stepping up its efforts to protect its iconic sandals in India, as local legal representatives conducted...
HONG KONG: China has fired back at the European Union in an escalating trade dispute by imposing new restrictions on medical device...