STORY: Kuwaiti athletes share feelings after wowing Chinese netizens at Hangzhou Asiad opening ceremony
DATELINE: Sept. 28, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:25
LOCATION: HANGZHOU, China
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the opening ceremony
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): TATARINOVA SVETLANA, Kuwaiti athlete
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SOAAD ALFAQAAN, Kuwaiti athlete
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): TATARINOVA SVETLANA, Kuwaiti athlete
5. SOUNDBITE 4 (English): SOAAD ALFAQAAN, Kuwaiti athlete
6. SOUNDBITE 5 (English): SOAAD ALFAQAAN, Kuwaiti athlete
7. SOUNDBITE 6 (English): TATARINOVA SVETLANA, Kuwaiti athlete
8. SOUNDBITE 7 (English): SOAAD ALFAQAAN, Kuwaiti athlete

STORYLINE:

The 19th Asian Games kicked off in China's Hangzhou on Saturday, with the opening ceremony drawing global attention.

Videos of the Kuwaiti delegation parading into the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium during the opening ceremony went viral on Chinese social media.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): TATARINOVA SVETLANA, Kuwaiti athlete
"Everybody recognizes us."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): SOAAD ALFAQAAN, Kuwaiti athlete
"We are now famous in Hangzhou."

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): TATARINOVA SVETLANA, Kuwaiti athlete
"We were participating (in the opening ceremony) there."

SOUNDBITE 4 (English): SOAAD ALFAQAAN, Kuwaiti athlete
"And they made a video of us. We were three girls in dresses, so they called us Charlie's Angels. So maybe we will come back and become famous models in China."

SOUNDBITE 5 (English): SOAAD ALFAQAAN, Kuwaiti athlete
"First of all, the organization (of the opening ceremony) was amazing. I love the holographic lights with the name of the country. The dancers, all of the small details, they made it all so special."

SOUNDBITE 6 (English): TATARINOVA SVETLANA, Kuwaiti athlete
"For me, it's the first time to participate in this (kind of) huge event. And I was really shivering. I am speechless. It was that much."

SOUNDBITE 7 (English): SOAAD ALFAQAAN, Kuwaiti athlete
"Since we arrived, every day we go to the Fuyang Water Sports Center because we are rowers and then back to the village. The environment was so lively. And the people were so welcoming and interested. So a lot of people will ask, can we take a photo? So we felt very special, very welcomed. I will definitely come back because everything here is so well-organized, very clean, very interesting."

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