Delayed by a year, the 19^th Asian Games got off to a glittering start on Saturday with Olympic medalists Lovlina Borgohain and Harmanpreet Singh leading the largest ever Indian contingent of 655 athletes at the opening ceremony in Hangzhou.

Held amid a diplomatic row over denial of entry to three Indian athletes from Arunachal Pradesh, the highlight of the evening was the spectacular light show, besides featuring the cultural history of China, and the spirit of Asian unity.

Advertisement

Chinese President Xi Jinping declared the Games open as more than 12,000 athletes from 45 countries look forward to battle for the continental supremacy till October 8. The Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) acting president Randhir Singh, International Olympic Committee (IOC) head Thomas Bach, heads of several countries, officials of National Olympic Committees and host of other dignitaries were in attendance.

India’s sports minister Anurag Thakur, however, had cancelled his visit to China after the host nation refused to issue accreditations to three athletes from Arunachal Pradesh. The three of the 11-member Wushu contingent failed to take the flight to China, after failing to receive their travelling credentials. The contingent was booked to fly to Hangzhou through Hong Kong, but they didn’t receive clearance to travel beyond Hong Kong.

The opening ceremony kicked off with a spectacular performance called Water in Autumn Glow, highlighting China’s technological advancement — the eco-friendly tech and the advent of artificial intelligence — while also giving a slice of its history. The Qiantang river that flows through Hangzhou was the underlying theme of the event that lasted nearly two hours.

After India, the contingents of Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Singapore make their way on to the stage.

Addressing the crowd, mainly in English while using a few Chinese phrases, OCA acting president Singh thanked the Chinese president for his hospitality.

“On behalf of OCA, I would like to say how proud and happy we are. Heart to heart in the future, this is not only the slogan for Asian Games but also the future of Asia. To the spectators and people of Hangzhou, Xie Xie for your hospitality and warm welcome,” he said.

Last time around, the Indian contingent returned with 70 medals. Over the course of the couple of weeks, the current Indian contingent of over 600 athletes will not only try to match, but overhaul that tally.