Asian Games Opening Ceremony to Break with Tradition

(ATR) The opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games will be a unique experience for a major sporting event.

Haixinsha Island will take center stage for the spectacular show, breaking with the tradition of hosting such events in the main stadium.

"This change of venue is a breakthrough in the staging of the opening ceremony of international large scale sports events," said He Jiqing, Director of Ceremonies and Cultural Events Department for GAGOC. "The venue is no longer enclosed, but an open space with unlimited extension of time and space.

"This is a revolutionary breakthrough for Guangzhou."

One tradition that is being preserved is keeping tight-lipped about who will light the Asian Games flame, and how they will do it.

"The torch lighting moment is the most secret part of all major events," Jiqing He explained. "Everyone will find out who will light the torch."

"But I can tell you that there will be a lot of Chinese elements involved in the lighting ceremony."

He stressed that the whole evening will integrate Lingnan culture, Chinese culture, Asian culture, and the culture of sport.

He said that the Pearl River is at the heart of Lingnan culture and so many elements related to water will feature throughout the night, including a boat procession.

The "Nanhai God" boat will lead 45 other vessels carrying athletes and officials from the competing countries and regions. They will enjoy performances along the six mile route.

Tickets for the opening ceremony were sold out a long time ago and concerns have been expressed in the rehearsals about the speed of entry on to the island setting.

The security operation, that GAGOC has revealed will cost $30 million forFridaynight alone, has made entry into even the sparsely populated football games a laborious process. But He promised that three steps have been taken to increase the speed of entry for the sell-out crowd.

"We have increased the number of security checkpoints," he said. "We will allow people to arrive early and provide snacks so they can enjoy the river view, and we will increase the staff both inside and outside the site to speed the flow and smoothness of entry."

Bars and restaurants along the Pearl River will closefor thenight. One manager of a popular restaurant said: "This would be a great place to watch the river parade but everywhere has been told to close. I am going to watch it at home on the television with my family."

That was the advice for local residents from He, although he said that it would be possible to enjoy the event on big screens in major plazas around the city.

Spectacular sound and light shows are promised, and as the event closes at around 11 PM the city will be illuminated by a firework display.

"It will not be the biggest, large scale display," admitted He, "but it will have classic Chinese elements."

ATR coverage of the Guangzhou Asian Games

is Proudly Presented by PyeongChang 2018

With reporting in Guangzhou from Matt Horn.