A vividly festive mood is everywhere in the city of Guangzhou as China wraps up preparations for the 16th Asian Games. The Games are being touted as the largest ever in terms of both the number of contingent participants and the number of sports being contested.
Stickers on taxis, posters on buses and banners on building walls are everywhere in China's third largest city as Asia's premiere sporting event draws near.
Asian Games souvenirs - clothes, key chains, dolls, etc. - are sold across the city, including on the premises of Canton Tower, the tallest building in China.
Workers are busy putting the final touches on buildings and facilities set to be used by various parties, including athletes, security personnel, media and spectators. Students are busy rehearsing in the Asian Games Town, the brand new main venue located in outskirts of Guangzhou.
Similar endeavors were also underway Thursday at several other primary venues, such as the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center, the Tianhe Sports Center and the Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center.
The Asian Games will be the third major event held in China in the past two years, after the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and Shanghai World Trade Expo held earlier this year. "People are excited knowing their city will be hosting the Asian Games," university student Huang Jingwei said.
The Asian Games organizing committee, set up by the central and Guangdong provincial governments, has been in preparation mode ever since the city won the bid to host the event six years ago, and the process has not encountered any significant hurdles so far. The committee has completed construction of all competition venues and is now proceeding with the final stages of testing.
Given that the Asian Games is a premier sporting event, the Chinese government has channeled well over 100 billion RMB (yuan) into facilitating the activities.
Around 100 billion RMB was spent to improve the city's basic infrastructure, such as the subway system, bridges and roads; 6 billion RMB was allocated for construction of Games venues, while another 7 billion RMB was earmarked for Games operations, including expenses for the opening ceremony, the Games secretariat and others.
"We value thrift when spending money. There is no waste, and the allocation and distribution of funds must be clean and scandal free, committee director for external relations and protocol Sun Xiuqing said.
In a meeting with Asian journalists, a top Guangdong provincial official played down accusations that the government has been spending lavishly on preparations for the Games.
"Some people question whether spending over 100 billion RMB for the Games is appropriate. Actually, the amount of money invested in the Games is only around 15 billion RMB, while 100 billion RMB has been spent on construction of public facilities that will be enjoyed by Guangdong residents for many years to come. We consider this an investment," said Lin Xiong, the director general of the Guangdong province publicity department.
Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong province, which is located in southern China. The province is among the wealthiest in China. With a population of around 100 million residents, per capita income in Guangdong province is over US$ 7,000 a year. Development in the province has been a key driver supporting the growth of China's economy. Guangdong's exports last year accounted for around 25 percent of China's export total.
The province has achieved remarkable economic growth over the past 30 years, posting an average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 13.6 percent. It still achieved 9.5 percent GDP growth last year despite the global economic crisis.
Guangdong's economic growth is predicted to slow in the near future as the US government is waging a currency battle against China. If China's government eventually succumbs to the US government's will and loosens the yuan peg against US dollar, Guangdong's exports will take a severe hit after yuan appreciation lifts prices for Chinese products and changes the competitive landscape.
But back to the Games, over 14,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries have registered to participate in the event, which is held every four years, and the committee still expects more delegates will apply to participate.
"We will keep the registration process open until the final moments," Sun Xiuqing said.
The Guangzhou Asian Games, set to run between Nov. 12 and Nov. 27, will feature 42 sports. In order to manage the Games, the committee has appointed over 4,300 international and domestic technical officials, including referees, linesmen, medical officers and others.
Over 8,500 domestic and overseas media outlets have registered to cover the events for their respective audiences. The total consists of 3,185 print media and 5,412 broadcast media applicants.
The committee has built a large media village and a spacious main media center on the outskirts of Guangzhou, which is part of the government's efforts to enhance its image before the global audience.
China is struggling to ease the pressure of a negative campaign being waged by Western media with regard to the nation s checkered human rights record and disputed trade practices. At the same time, the Chinese government is using the media to aggressively promote the country to attract foreign investment.
Stickers on taxis, posters on buses and banners on building walls are everywhere in China's third largest city as Asia's premiere sporting event draws near.
Asian Games souvenirs - clothes, key chains, dolls, etc. - are sold across the city, including on the premises of Canton Tower, the tallest building in China.
Workers are busy putting the final touches on buildings and facilities set to be used by various parties, including athletes, security personnel, media and spectators. Students are busy rehearsing in the Asian Games Town, the brand new main venue located in outskirts of Guangzhou.
Similar endeavors were also underway Thursday at several other primary venues, such as the Guangdong Olympic Sports Center, the Tianhe Sports Center and the Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center.
The Asian Games will be the third major event held in China in the past two years, after the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008 and Shanghai World Trade Expo held earlier this year. "People are excited knowing their city will be hosting the Asian Games," university student Huang Jingwei said.
The Asian Games organizing committee, set up by the central and Guangdong provincial governments, has been in preparation mode ever since the city won the bid to host the event six years ago, and the process has not encountered any significant hurdles so far. The committee has completed construction of all competition venues and is now proceeding with the final stages of testing.
Given that the Asian Games is a premier sporting event, the Chinese government has channeled well over 100 billion RMB (yuan) into facilitating the activities.
Around 100 billion RMB was spent to improve the city's basic infrastructure, such as the subway system, bridges and roads; 6 billion RMB was allocated for construction of Games venues, while another 7 billion RMB was earmarked for Games operations, including expenses for the opening ceremony, the Games secretariat and others.
"We value thrift when spending money. There is no waste, and the allocation and distribution of funds must be clean and scandal free, committee director for external relations and protocol Sun Xiuqing said.
In a meeting with Asian journalists, a top Guangdong provincial official played down accusations that the government has been spending lavishly on preparations for the Games.
"Some people question whether spending over 100 billion RMB for the Games is appropriate. Actually, the amount of money invested in the Games is only around 15 billion RMB, while 100 billion RMB has been spent on construction of public facilities that will be enjoyed by Guangdong residents for many years to come. We consider this an investment," said Lin Xiong, the director general of the Guangdong province publicity department.
Guangzhou is the capital of Guangdong province, which is located in southern China. The province is among the wealthiest in China. With a population of around 100 million residents, per capita income in Guangdong province is over US$ 7,000 a year. Development in the province has been a key driver supporting the growth of China's economy. Guangdong's exports last year accounted for around 25 percent of China's export total.
The province has achieved remarkable economic growth over the past 30 years, posting an average Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of 13.6 percent. It still achieved 9.5 percent GDP growth last year despite the global economic crisis.
Guangdong's economic growth is predicted to slow in the near future as the US government is waging a currency battle against China. If China's government eventually succumbs to the US government's will and loosens the yuan peg against US dollar, Guangdong's exports will take a severe hit after yuan appreciation lifts prices for Chinese products and changes the competitive landscape.
But back to the Games, over 14,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries have registered to participate in the event, which is held every four years, and the committee still expects more delegates will apply to participate.
"We will keep the registration process open until the final moments," Sun Xiuqing said.
The Guangzhou Asian Games, set to run between Nov. 12 and Nov. 27, will feature 42 sports. In order to manage the Games, the committee has appointed over 4,300 international and domestic technical officials, including referees, linesmen, medical officers and others.
Over 8,500 domestic and overseas media outlets have registered to cover the events for their respective audiences. The total consists of 3,185 print media and 5,412 broadcast media applicants.
The committee has built a large media village and a spacious main media center on the outskirts of Guangzhou, which is part of the government's efforts to enhance its image before the global audience.
China is struggling to ease the pressure of a negative campaign being waged by Western media with regard to the nation s checkered human rights record and disputed trade practices. At the same time, the Chinese government is using the media to aggressively promote the country to attract foreign investment.
Source: The Jakarta Post
