Thomas Bach returned to China and toured the Hangzhou 2023 venues: “The Asian Games will be brilliant”

Thomas Bach, president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), toured the venues of the Asian Games that will be held in Hangzhou as part of his visit to China, a country to which he returned for the first time since the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

The XIX Asian Games should have been held last year, but they were suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic and will be held from September 23 to October 8.

“Athletes and spectators can look forward to the exciting 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. They will be brilliant,” Bach highlighted during his tour of the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center, which includes the main stadium “Big Lotus”, the “Little Lotus” tennis center, the new aquatic center and the basketball court.

“Hangzhou has world-class facilities and is operationally ready,” said the German leader, who was accompanied by different local authorities such as Mr. Zhang Jiasheng (Deputy Governor of Zhejiang Province and Vice President of HAGOC) and Mr. Yao Gaoyuan (Mayor of Hangzhou, Vice President and Secretary General of HAGOC).

The 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games will have the participation of nearly 25,000 athletes and will take place in the middle of the discussion regarding the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes in international competitions.

At the start of the year, the Asian Olympic Council (COA) had already made its position clear: “The COA believes in the unifying power of sport and that all athletes, regardless of their nationality or passport, should be able to compete. The COA invited Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in competitions in the region, including the Asian Games.”

The Asian Games, which will have the participation of athletes from Oceania for the first time, will be part of the qualification for Paris 2024 in sports such as volleyball, beach volleyball, basketball, soccer and fencing. Unlike Hangzhou 2023, athletes from Russia and Belarus will not be able to participate in the European Games that will be held in Krakow, Poland, from June 21 to July 2.

During the visit to China, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced the donation of 10.4 million dollars from the excess organizational budget of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics.

Bach congratulated the Organizing Committee “for a financial surplus even in these extremely difficult circumstances” and explained that “in recognition of all these achievements, the IOC will contribute its share of the surplus to support the legacy of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. Young people who play winter sports will benefit tremendously.”

The president of the IOC also met during his visit to China with the Chinese Prime Minister, Li Qiang, and the president of the Chinese Olympic Committee, Gao Zhidan.

According to the local press, Li Qiang promised to “work with the IOC to oppose the politicization of sports and make more contributions to the Olympic movement”, while Bach pledged to “defend the Olympic spirit and to oppose the politicization of sports.”