People.cn:
What are the difficulties in preparing for the Hangzhou Asian Games and Asian Para Games? How have you overcome them? Additionally, given that the transition time between the Asian Games and Asian Para Games isn't very long, how will you ensure a smooth transition? Thank you.
Chen Weiqiang:
Okay, I'll answer this question. Indeed, there are many difficulties in preparing and organizing a major sports event. People have high expectations for the Hangzhou Asian Games, and it is the largest Asian Games ever. Therefore, we have faced some challenges in the preparation. Take the equestrian events as an example: not only did we have to build the venues, but we also had to establish an equine disease-free zone, create safe passages, and acquire certifications from the World Organization for Animal Health and the European Union, making the situation very complicated. This is regarding the preparation of the venues.
Besides, honestly speaking, we lack experience in organizing sports events. Hangzhou hasn't hosted a major sports event before, and relevant talents are scarce. The three-year COVID-19 epidemic has also caused great difficulties in the construction and delivery of venues. Initially, as the 72 technical officials selected by the Olympic Council of Asia were all foreigners and they couldn't come to China, the sports venue design and technical standards couldn't be settled. These problems were then solved via video links; however, difficulties still existed in on-site deliveries, as they still couldn't come to China. All these increased our perplexity to some extent. And after the Asian Games was postponed, we also faced risks, including those with our contracts. During our preparation for the Asian Games, we signed about 3,200 contracts, and 888 of them needed to be amended by supplemental agreements. Before April this year, we had signed all of these supplemental agreements, without creating any undesired consequences. We have taken active steps to address these difficulties. The HAGOC sent batches of people to observe and learn from the Beijing Winter Olympic Games for half a year. We've also learned from the Military World Games held in Wuhan and sports events hosted by other cities. Meanwhile, as mentioned earlier, we have actively diffused risks, mainly the risks brought by the delay of the Games and those concerning contracts. In terms of bringing in talent, we've gained great support from the General Administration of Sport of China and the China Disabled Persons' Federation, which have selected and dispatched talent nationwide for us. The Hong Kong Jockey Club also sent people to help us organize the equestrian events. We've also hired many professionals as experts and consultants to shore up our weak links.
In addition, we have identified loopholes and strengthened our teams through tests and exercises, including carrying out pressure tests. To date, we have held over 40 test events, including more than 20 last year and over 20 since the beginning of this year. Problems have continuously been discovered, examined, and resolved during these tests.
The transition between the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games is indeed also a test for us. We maintain that both Games should be equally splendid, so we operate as a team with two brands. That is, the organizing committees of the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games consist of the same group of people. First, there is no transition in essence. We view them as two stages of one continuous competition, so they are consistent in essence.
Second, concerning facilities for the Asian Para Games, we planned in advance, such as the construction of barrier-free passages and rooms for athletes of the Asian Para Games. Considering there will be about 3,900 athletes for the Asian Para Games, with 1,100 athletes using wheelchairs, their rooms needed modifications, including larger elevators and restrooms. We have completed these transformations in advance, so no transition is needed for that. These rooms can be put into use as soon as the athletes arrive.
Third, in our planning, we have endeavored to create connections between the Asian Para Games and the Asian Games. For example, we have adopted the same information systems in venues, so the system used in the Asian Games can also be utilized in the Asian Para Games. We have used the same color schemes in venues, so we don't need to make large adjustments when setting up the venues; we can simply change the emblem and slogan. By doing this, we have significantly shortened the transition time. We have made detailed plans and carried out meticulous exercises. During the half-month transition period, we can swiftly switch to the Asian Para Games scenario.
That's all for my introduction. Thank you!
