Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 ramps up

The 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, to be held in September next year, is accelerating the construction of venues in Chun'an and Tonglu counties of Hangzhou, Zhejiang province.

The Chun'an competition zone will mainly focus on cycling, triathlon and swimming events, and expects to welcome 945 athletes from all over Asia. Twenty-five gold medals will be at stake during the Games, according to the organizing committee.

Six venues had been basically completed as of the end of July, and are scheduled to be approved for operation after checks in September.

Located in the Jieshou Sports Center of the Qiandao Lake Tourism Resort in Chun'an, the hemispherical main arena uses a steel structure system on its internal roof. More than 3,000 spectator seats in the arena are distributed along the oval track, allowing the audience to experience the speed and passion of the cycling events up close.

"We adopted universal green building standards and ecological park construction, using low-carbon and energy-efficient technology throughout the construction," said He Yefeng, executive director of the Chun'an competition venue team, adding that the Games' concept of "green, smart, economical, ethical" has been the main principle of construction.

The equestrian competition will be held in Tonglu's Yaolin Arena, including dressage, show jumping and triathlon. The venue, with a total construction area of 54,000 square meters, is one of the few in China that can host international equestrian events at high standards.

To date, roughly 85 percent of the construction has been completed, and is expected to be finished by the end of September. Trial operations will start by the end of this year.

"One of the difficulties of hosting Hangzhou 2022's equestrian events is the establishment of an internationally recognized epidemic-free zone," said Zhou Haijing, deputy head of Tonglu county. The equestrian arena has been equipped with animal health inspection stations, an animal isolation field and other facilities since construction began in July 2019. It is expected to be approved by the World Organization for Animal Health, or OIE, in March, Zhou added.

Cai Jingwen and Jiang Lai contributed to this story.