Security tightened ahead of Hangzhou closing ceremony

Nevin Al Sukari - Sana'a - The hosts’ 201st gold left them two better than their previous best of 199 at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games. — Reuters pic

HANGZHOU, Oct 8 — Subways were closed and security was tightened around Hangzhou’s Olympic stadium ahead of the Asian Games closing ceremony today as China grabbed one of the last gold medals to add to a record-breaking haul at the multi-sport event.

After more than two weeks of competition, China’s Premier Li Qiang will attend the evening ceremony starting 8pm (8pm Malaysian time) which will include a handover ceremony to the hosts of the next Asian Games in 2026, the Japanese city Nagoya.

The mayor of the next city to host a Games traditionally attends such closing ceremonies.

But Nagoya mayor Takashi Kawamura is not expected in Hangzhou due to comments he made over a decade ago denying that Japanese troops inflicted a wartime massacre on the Chinese city of Nanjing, Japanese outlet Mainichi reported.

The governor of Aichi prefecture, which will co-host the 2026 Games with Nagoya, is expected to attend.

With athletes energised by warm support from home fans, China topped the medals table for an 11th successive Games, taking an artistic swimming title on the final day.

The hosts’ 201st gold left them two better than their previous best of 199 at the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games.

The very last gold went to Taiwan’s Gu Shiau-shuang, who beat Kazakhstan’s Moldir Zhangbyrbay in the karate, defending the women’s 50 kg kumite title she won in Jakarta in 2018.

Taiwan’s 19th gold medal equalled their best ever haul achieved at the Bangkok Games in 1998.

Japan took the other title today, edging Macau in the men’s team kata karate competition.

Gu will be Taiwan’s flagbearer at the closing ceremony, organisers announced today and Xie Zhenye, who won gold in the men’s 100m and the men’s 4x100m, will be China’s.

Shigeyuki Nakarai, who won gold in men’s breakdancing, will be Japan’s.

Other notable flagbearers include Palestine’s Hala Al-Qadi, who won her nation’s sole medal of the Games, a bronze in karate.

Organisers said 12,407 athletes from 45 nations competed in 40 sports at the Hangzhou Games, which were delayed for a year due to Covid-19.

With shiny, new stadiums and crowds free to roam between venues, China’s first multi-sport event in the post-Covid era has been a far more festive occasion than last year’s Beijing Winter Olympics which were held under extreme health protocols.

“We have hosted the most successful Asian Games in history” said Chen Weiqiang, Executive Secretary General of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee and vice-mayor of Hangzhou.

“It can be said that during the whole 16 days of the competition, the people of Hangzhou basked in a sea of joy.”

Yet the Games have been overshadowed by political tensions, including a dispute with the World Anti-Doping Agency (Wada) over North Korea’s flag.

Wada banned the flag at all major sporting events, outside the Olympic and Paralympic Games, in 2021 after deeming that North Korea had failed to implement an effective testing programme.

But the flag has been displayed throughout the Games with the backing of the Olympic Council of Asia, triggering a threat of sanctions from Wada.

The OCA confirmed today the dispute was still not resolved.

“We are in touch with them and we are trying to resolve this issue hopefully in the next couple of days we will be able to get through to what Wada wants,” acting OCA director general Vinod Kumar Tiwari told reporters. — Reuters