Asian Games: Hangzhou bids farewell to participants with spectacular festival of light, colour and music

Hangzhou, Oct 8: Introduce the first digital turf in Games history, which is the fusion of technology and ecology, and the grafting of technology and art, Hangzhou bid adieu to the 19th Asian Games with another sensational display of light, sound and music that left a mesmerising affect on the packed Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium.

Embedded with LED lights, the turf is capable of outlining changeable images of a sea of stars, the turf is supposed to represent an interaction between “People and Landscape” showcasing the vibrancy of Hangzhou’s natural scenery, and the shared bonds and closely connected nature of Asia.

As hundreds of the athletes walked into the stadium, the Indian contingent was led by the men's hockey team's goalkeeper PR Sreejesh, who along with Manpreet Singh became the only two Indian players to win two gold medals in hockey in the Asian Games.

If the opening ceremony was centred on water in its various forms, the closing ceremony focussed on people and showcased the exciting and touching moments of athletes throughout the Games while also representing thousands of volunteers and millions of citizens of Hangzhou and nearby areas as well as every person that made this Games possible.

The closing ceremony also highlighted the spirit of Sports Without Borders, the harmony between culture and sports and the intertwining relations between thought and feelings with the hope that it will inspire millions of youth across the Asian continent to take to sports and continue the movement in future.

The acting President of the Olympic Council of Asia, Randhir Singh, declared the 19th Asian Games closed. He thanked all stakeholders and people of Hangzhou for organising the best Asian Games of recent times in Hangzhou and invited the youth of the continent to assemble in three years in 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya in Japan for the 20th Asian Games.

The organising committee of the Hangzhou Asian Games, in the presence of Randhi Singh, then handed over the flag of the first Asian Games in New Delhi in 1951 and the flag of OCA to the Mayor of Aichi-Nagoya.

The organising committee of the next Asian Games in Japan then presented its vision of the 20th edition of the Continental extravaganza through popular motifs from the culture and music of Japan and Aichi-Nagoya.

Popular Kabuki actor Kankuro Nakamura performed on a virtual bridge, rendered in the style of an ukiyo-e woodblock print, the ancient art that his ancestors took from Aichi-Nagoya to Tokyo. 

With Nagoya Castle'sHonmaru Palace, which served as a central location for political functions during the Samurai era, as the backdrop, Kankuro and his son Kantaro performed in roles of "shishi" lion and cub at the virtual palace with digital technology used in producing a splendid display of Aichi-Nagoya's vaunted craftsmanship and culture.

The message was clear to all those present in the stadium that the organisers of the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya will definitely try to organise the Asian Games in as spectacular fashion as Hangzhou has done, if not better.

Farewell to Hangzhou and Hello to Aichi-Nagoya.