The Guangzhou 2010 Asian Games, the next major sports event to be hosted by a Chinese city, is sure to attract a world-wide audience, said the Olympic Council of Asia’s (OCA) top executive.
Speaking a day after the Opening Ceremony for the Beijing Olympics, Husain Al-Musallam, the OCA’s Director General, also said he was confident that Guangzhou was committed to staging the best ever event in Asian Games history.
Husain has high hopes for 2010, when an estimated 14,000 athletes and team officials, 6,500 Asian and International Sports Federation officials, 10,000 local and overseas media staff and over 2000 members of the OCA, from 45 countries in Asia, converge on the city for the 15-day event.
After the spectacular Olympic opener, Husain said he was full of confidence that Guangzhou would host its own unforgettable Asiad in two years’ time, and that he was very satisfied with the close cooperation between GAGOC and the OCA so far.
He also spoke highly of the infrastructure projects Guangzhou is building for the Games and added that he was particularly impressed with Asian Games Town, a development, he said, that will not only be the pride of Guangzhou, but all of Asia as well.
Xu Ruisheng, GAGOC Executive Deputy Secretary General and Guangzhou’s Vice Mayor, who was also present at the briefing, said the Committee would learn a great deal from Beijing’s experience in hosting the Olympics and said the city’s 2010 Asian Games would showcase the best of Guangzhou and China, while encouraging a greater sharing of the diverse cultures in Asia.
(Source: GAGOC)
