Colourful opening ceremony marks the launch of 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou
Hangzhou: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Saturday declared the 19th Asian Games open in Hangzhou, after an environmentally friendly opening ceremony paving the way for an event that will see the participation of 12000 athletes.
The opening ceremony took place in an atmosphere dominated by the use of environmentally friendly technology where China welcomed the delegations participating in the session from 45 countries.
Qatar is participating in the tournament with a delegation of 185 male and female athletes competing in 27 sports: archery, athletics, basketball, boxing, chess, cycling, e-sports, equestrian, football, fencing, gymnastics, golf, handball, jiu-jitsu, karate, windsurfing, squash, swimming, tennis, taekwondo, triathlon, table tennis, volleyball, 33 basketball, beach volleyball, weightlifting, and bow and arrow.
Athletes from 45 countries are participating in the tournament, competing for 481 gold medals that will be distributed in 40 different sports, nine of which will qualify for the Summer Olympic Games scheduled in the French capital, Paris, next year.