China names Asian Games team, as sports chief outlines their ‘political’ mission in Hangzhou
- The home nation will have 886 athletes in action, among them 36 Olympic champions, with the 19th Asiad starting next week
- General Administration of Sport tells delegation to ‘improve political awareness’ and ‘firmly remember the great causes of the nation’
China has named a team of nearly 900 athletes for the Asian Games, with the country’s top sports official outlining their “political” mission.
The 19th edition of the Asian Games, also known as the Asiad, will take place in the Eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou and run from September 23 to October 8, featuring 12,500 athletes, more than ever before, organisers have said.
The home nation will have 886 athletes in action, among them 36 Olympic champions.
Some notable names have been included for the women’s football event, with 18 of the 22 players having competed in the Women’s World Cup this summer.
Leading China’s charge in the pool is the likes of Qin Heiyang, who cleaned up at the World Championships in Fukuoka in July, winning gold in the men’s 50m, 100m, and 200m breaststroke, as well as the 4x100m medley relay.
The Games open next Saturday after a year’s delay because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the hosts will expect to hoover up the medals, having topped the table at every edition of the competition since 1982.
