STORY: Flame for Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games lit in Liangzhu culture site
DATELINE: June 15, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:41
LOCATION: HANGZHOU, China
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the ceremony
2. various of the venues for the Asian Games
3. various of city views in China's Hangzhou

STORYLINE:

The Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games flame was lit on Thursday in the Liangzhu ancient city in east China's Zhejiang Province, marking the 100-day countdown to the opening of the 19th Asian Games.

Nineteen flame collectors, dressed in white, strolled up the steps before one of them lit a torch from the rays of the sun using a concave mirror. The outline of the mirror, designed like a jade bi, symbolizes the sun's rays.

The torch relay will take place in September and culminate in lighting the cauldron at the opening ceremony on September 23.
   
Despite the one-year postponement of the Asian Games, Hangzhou is prepared to host the greatest multi-sport event in the world after the Olympic Games, making Asia proud.
   
In 100 days, over 10,000 athletes and officials from across the continent will converge in Zhejiang Province, east China, to compete in 483 medal events across 40 sports.

Hangzhou is the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games, following Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010.

All 56 competition venues were completed by the end of March last year, and more than 40 test events have been held since April to address any issues with playing conditions and infrastructure readiness.

About 52,000 volunteers have been recruited for the Asian Games. They will assist at competition venues as well as Games-related sites after receiving general and specialized training for their roles.

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Hangzhou, China.
(XHTV)