Asian Winter Games opens with ‘distinctly Chinese, uniquely Asian and spectacular’ display
Short-track speed skater Lam Ching-yan and alpine skier Adrian Yung named city’s flag bearers, represent ‘new generation’ of athletes
The ceremony again highlighted the technology and artistry which have become a hallmark of first nights when the country hosts major sporting events – this time marrying 8K Ultra HD screens with what was described as a “poetic journey from Harbin to China and across Asia”.
With a crowd numbering in the thousands, nearly 1,300 athletes and hundreds of performers at Harbin International Conference, Exhibition and Sports Centre and outside at the city’s Ice and Snow World, this was significantly smaller than the summer version held in Hangzhou 18 months ago, but there was no less pageantry or performance.
Certainly the arrival of Xi, who entered the arena ahead of the raising of the Chinese flag with his wife Peng Liyuan, International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach and Olympic Council of Asia first vice-president Timothy Fok Tsun-ting, was as choreographed as expected.
The spectacular followed, in a display of lights, music, and ice skating that culminated in Zhang Hong, who won gold in the women’s 1,000m speed skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, ending the torch relay by lighting the cauldron surrounded by Harbin’s famed ice sculptures.
As usual, other than declaring the Games open, Xi did not deliver any remarks, leaving that to others, including Fok, who is also president of the Sports Federation and Olympic Committee of Hong Kong, China.