16th Asian Games Guangzhou 2010

Date: November 12 - 27, 2010
Host City: Guangzhou, China
Co-host Cities: Shanwei, Dongguan, Foshan
Vision: Thrilling Guangzhou Harmonious Asia

Guangzhou all set for Asian Games
11 October 2010

GUANGZHOU, China: After seven years of painstaking preparations, Guangzhou -- the southern city at the heart of China's economic miracle -- has reinvented itself and is ready for next month's Asian Games.

Organisers said they hoped the 2010 Asiad -- the world's second-largest sporting event after the Olympics -- will help the booming metropolis once known as Canton to join the ranks of the world's elite cities.

"After the Asian Games, Guangzhou will not only be known for business and trade, but also sport and lifestyle," the vice secretary general of the Guangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee, Gu Shiyang, told AFP.

"Guangzhou will not only be known as an important city in China, but also in Asia and the world."

Nearly 12,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions will compete for 476 sports titles at the Games in Guangzhou, which sits in the Pearl River Delta, the hub of China's huge export-oriented "workshop of the world".

Just as Beijing did before the 2008 Olympics, Guangzhou has poured billions of dollars into infrastructure projects before the Asiad -- a new rail station, a gleaming trade centre, subway lines, housing projects, highways and bridges.

The opening ceremony of the November 12-27 showpiece will be held in a new amphitheatre built on an island in the Pearl River and nestled beneath the towering skyscrapers of the newly renovated waterfront business district.

Construction on 58 renovated sporting venues and 12 brand-new facilities were finished by the end of September, when crews moved in and began testing equipment and going through Games rehearsals, Gu said.

Four years after Doha staged what was widely seen as the best Asian Games ever, Gu said his city is hoping to outdo the Qatari capital in an effort to one day see Guangzhou hosting an Olympic Games.

But as Delhi found out to its embarrassment as it frantically battled to be ready for the ongoing Commonwealth Games, holding a major multi-sports event is a huge undertaking.

And while there has been none of the chaos of the Delhi preparations, not all has gone smoothly in the run-up in Guangzhou, a city of more than 10 million located about 140 kilometres (85 miles) northwest of Hong Kong.

Officials admit preparations have been fraught with snags, including massive traffic jams during construction and the eviction of numerous unhappy residents to make room for new building projects.

"In the course of construction, of course there was a series of problems," Pan Guolong, an official in charge of venue construction, told AFP.

"During the process, we went through some difficulties and inconveniences, but we have made a better city for the people. Now, most of the people are supportive."

Down the road from the new amphitheatre, where dilapidated housing blocks are still being prepared for demolition, police prevented journalists from interviewing evictees.

"Of course, no one likes to be forcibly evicted from their homes," Wang Yunxiang, a taxi driver, said as he passed by rows of trucks moving people out.

"But the government says this is progress. No one can oppose the government."

At the Capital Centre, a towering luxury apartment complex which overlooks the amphitheatre, residents will be kicked out of their flats during the opening ceremony due to security concerns.

"Some high-level officials will be attending the opening ceremony, so buildings within 500 metres of the amphitheatre will be evacuated," said a building estate agent who identified herself only by her surname Lin.

"You foreigners don't understand -- this is the Chinese way, what the government says goes."

On November 1, the city will start evicting beggars from the streets, while anyone hoping to buy a kitchen knife or other large cutting tools will have to visit designated shops and show identification, according to state media.

"Security is our top concern and our top responsibility for the success of the Games," Gu said.

"We are fully aware of the threats from outside the country and also the risks within the city or within the territory. We have made great efforts to make our city safe, to make our Games safe."

To relieve the city's notorious traffic congestion, restrictions will be implemented from November 1 to get half of the nearly two million registered vehicles off the roads during the Games, officials said.

The government is also seeking to ensure that stands will be full of spectators -- tickets are being given away to students, enterprises and government institutions.

"We don't consider or take ticket sales as a most important channel of revenue... the first principle of ticket pricing is affordability," Gu said.

"The most important thing is participation. We would like to have more citizens, more spectators to come and watch the Games."

-AFP/jl

postnew said:

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useless exercise, can it stop bullet, can it take a smart bomb, no.

future wars are fought with brain, where women will be as powerful as men, maybe more, because it is a war, fought with robots where warrior seat in aircon room far away.

Grumbling aside, China's ready for Asian Games
GUANGZHOU, China (AP) -- The roads are freshly paved, taxi drivers are practicing English phrases and rehearsals are in full swing at the opening ceremony venue on a tiny island in the Pearl River.

The Asian Games get underway in one month's time in this leafy city of urban bustle and charming alleyways, bringing together more than 11,500 athletes competing in 42 sports. The Olympics-style event is shaping up to be another well-run, well-organized spectacular by the Chinese government, though wide-ranging preparation projects set off grumbling among some residents who see them as an inconvenience and waste of money.

"The Asian Games will elevate Guangzhou's status in the world. It will make the city more international. But if all things are decided by the will of the authority, while suppressing public supervision and criticism, then it will also have a negative side," said Li Gongming, a former delegate to the provincial legislative advisory body who has been an outspoken critic.

China's government has sought prestige projects like the 2008 Beijing Olympics and this year's Shanghai World Expo as a way of bolstering its status as an emerging world power. The Guangzhou Asian Games are a "grand event ... a platform to show the tremendous achievements of China's economic and social development," the organizing committee said in a statement.

It's uncommon in China for ordinary citizens to speak out for fear of retribution from authorities, but this issue has touched a nerve in Guangzhou. Residents here have always identified more closely with Hong Kong, the former British colony just two hours away by train which enjoys Western-style civil liberties, than with Beijing 1,200 miles (1,930 kilometers) away.

"I'm not thinking about the Asian Games, I'm concerned about my house," said 87-year-old Tan Yisheng, who lives in a historic part of Guangzhou slated to be demolished and converted into an upscale shopping and entertainment district. That project is not directly related to the Asian Games, though brick walls were hastily built around the rubble of early 1900s homes recently to hide the mess from next month's visitors.

As the clock ticks down to the 9:42 p.m. torch lighting on Nov. 12, some minor construction projects around Guangzhou have yet to wrap up. But there's nothing like the panic in New Delhi ahead of the current Commonwealth Games, which was so behind schedule and plagued with problems that some wondered whether the Oct. 3-14 event would happen at all.

The chaos tarnished the reputation of India, China's regional rival, and laid bare its deeply entrenched problems with bureaucratic mismanagement. Troubles continue to pile up since competition began, including sickened athletes, malfunctioning results systems and near-empty stadiums.

China, on the other hand, is going to great lengths to create a flawless event. Guangzhou has repaved its roadways, built new subway lines and planted colorful flowers along streets and overpasses.

There's a sparkling "Asian Games Town" a half-hour outside the city center where high-rise apartments will house athletes, journalists and officials. Fleets of minibuses are already parked in neat rows, surrounded by manicured lawns dotted with picturesque stone pavilions.

More than 500,000 volunteers-drawn from 1.5 million applicants-will be dispatched throughout the city. Cab drivers have been taking mandatory English lessons for months, learning phrases like "Welcome to the 16th Asian Games!" and "Here is your change."

Authorities even installed imitation Spanish-style roofs on dreary apartment buildings, particularly those lining the highway connecting the airport to the city. Locals call it "putting on new clothes and a hat," as many buildings were also given a fresh coat of paint, all at government expense.

"Look at these houses, they put a new wrapping on it to make it look pretty. But I don't think it looks good at all, it looks fake," said a taxi driver surnamed Li, gesturing to the buildings where underwear and towels were hanging out to dry on balconies, and questioning how much it all cost.

The organizing committee did not answer a question asking how much was spent on upgrade projects around the city, but said in its statement it was grateful to local residents for their "understanding and support."

"Preparation work for the Asian Games is basically completed, it has entered the final stage. There is a smaller impact on the daily lives of Guangzhou residents," it said. For their troubles, residents will get free public transportation during the games, free wireless Internet in some parts of the city for two months, and be eligible for ticket giveaways and other incentives.

So far, ticket sales have been strong, especially for events like badminton and table tennis, said Jerry Wu, deputy director of the ticketing center, adding that a final batch of tickets would be released for sale later this month.

Tickets to the opening ceremonies, which cost as much as 6,800 yuan (about $1,000), are sold out.

Details of the ceremonies remain secret, though on a recent visit chanting and music could be heard from inside the fenced-off venue, a half-stadium with gill-like openings along the side. Attendees will arrive by boat on opening night, the organizing committee has said, cruising 6 miles (9.2 kilometers) along the Pearl River, taking in sights such as the latticed Guangzhou TV Tower and the city's UFO-like opera house.

Asian Games hostesses train in Guangzhou