Hangzhou gets its Games face on

Preparations for the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou are already in full swing, according to a top local official.

Chen Weiqiang, deputy secretary-general of the Games' organizing committee and vice-mayor of the city, told China Daily in an exclusive interview that next year Hangzhou will work on improving the interiors of the venues, launch the torch design and define the main framework for the opening ceremony.

Dec 15 marks the 1,000-day countdown for the Asiad, and Chen said the organizing committee is dedicated to enhancing local residents' enthusiasm for the Games by positioning countdown clocks at landmarks in Hangzhou and other major cities in Zhejiang province, such as Ningbo, Jinhua and Shaoxing.

Meanwhile, organizers have teamed up with the Hangzhou-based China Academy of Art to launch a research center that facilitates the design of artistic works for the Games, with a special focus on consultation, standard formulation and quality control.

"The Hangzhou Asian Games go far beyond a mere sports event for Asia, but rather they are a platform for cultural and artistic exchanges around the globe," Chen said.

Hangzhou won the bid to host the Asian Games in September 2015, becoming the third city in China to host the quadrennial continental event, after Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, in 2010.

In September, karate, sport climbing and baseball/softball were added to the list of 37 sports already approved for the Games, taking the total number of competition events to 40.

The 19th edition of the Asiad will take place from Sept 10-25, 2022, and for the first time will feature athletes from Oceania.