Hangzhou Awarded 2022 Asian Games

(ATR) Hangzhou, the capital of China’s Zhejiang province, was on Wednesday awarded rights to host the 2022 Asian Games.

The southeast coastal Chinese city with a population of 8.9 million was the lone bidder for Asia’s flagship multi-sports event.

Hangzhou mayor Zhang Hong Ming led the bid city’s delegation, delivering a 15-minute presentation to the Asian NOC leaders at the OCA general assembly in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

He promoted the bid as secure, reliable and risk-free.

2004 Olympic swimming champion Luo Xuejuan, a resident of Hangzhou, contributed to the presentation. The former Chinese breaststroke world record holder will serve as a Games ambassador.

OCA president Sheik AhmadAl-Fasal Al-Sabah put the bid to the Asian NOC leaders saying, "It’s the only candidate but it has achieved a lot of the goals in our house".

The bid was approved by acclamation and the host city contract was signed.

Hangzhou will host the Games from Sept 10-25, 2022 - just seven months after Beijing stages the 2022 Winter Olympics.

The athletes' village will be located five kilometers from the Hangzhou Sports Center, main venue for the 2022 Asian Games. Visitors to Games can arrive via the 45-minute high-speed railway linking Hangzhou to Shanghai.

Hangzou, which markets itself as "Paradise on Earth," has hosted women’s World Cup football and the world table tennis tour finals.The picturesque coastal city will also host the FINA World Short Course Championships in 2018.

Chinese IT giant Alibaba will serve as Hangzhou’s marketing partner for the Games.

Reported in Ashgabat by Brian Pinelli

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