IOC President Thomas Bach praised the organisers of the Asian Games during his visit to Hangzhou, stating that the event is operationally ready. He toured the venues, including the main stadium, tennis centre, aquatics arena, and basketball gymnasium, all located within the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre cluster.
“Hangzhou has world-class facilities and is operationally ready,” said Bach while adding, “Athletes and spectators can look forward to exciting Asian Games Hangzhou 2023. They will be brilliant.”
Bach expressed confidence in Hangzhou’s world-class facilities and expressed excitement for the upcoming Asian Games Hangzhou 2023, wherein around 25,000 athletes and officials are expected to participate. He was accompanied by government leaders, IOC members, and other dignitaries, including Hangzhou Mayor Yao Gaoyuan and COC Vice-Presidents Yu Zaiqing and Li Lingwei.
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The Asian Games were postponed last year due to the pandemic and are now scheduled to take place from September 23 to October 8. The Olympic Council of Asia has proposed allowing athletes from Russia and Belarus to compete as neutrals at the games after the IOC opened the door for their return.
At the start of the year, the Asian Olympic Council (COA) had stated: “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.”
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According to reports from local media, Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang promised to “work with the IOC to oppose the politicization of sports and make more contributions to the Olympic movement”, whereas Bach pledged to “defend the Olympic spirit and to oppose the politicization of sports.”