[Live] Closing Ceremony of the 19th Asian Games

China Besides technology, the host country spent a lot of time for members of delegations to have fun on the field during the closing ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou.

The Vietnamese delegation danced and played on the field.
After the parade, the organizers spent more than 10 minutes for the delegations to interact and celebrate. Some Vietnamese members played and pushed each other to fall on the field, others asked to take souvenir photos with the 19th Asiad mascot. There were delegations like Pakistan or Taiwan who gathered and took group photos right on the field.
Director Sa Xiaolan once said that technology will continue to be used in the closing ceremony, but not as much as in the opening. He wants a more romantic and aesthetic closing ceremony.
The parades
The delegations marched in alphabetical order, starting with Afghanistan, with their athletes beaming with smiles. Vietnam was the last to arrive, with a few dozen members. Today, the final event was men’s karate team, but the team finished fifth and did not win a medal. This event for women brought home one of three gold medals for Vietnam this time.
Giant flowers bloom in Hangzhou stadium
One of the striking images of the closing ceremony was the huge flowers that grew and bloomed on the field. These were not real flowers, but digital images. Each flower emitted a ray of light that flew into the sky.
Hangzhou is considered the leading science and technology city in Asia, as well as the world. 3D, digital images are often integrated into the screen to show the strengths of the host.
Image of giant flowers on the field. Photo: screenshot
The first act is about history.
After the Chinese flag-raising ceremony, the organizers immediately launched the art performances, first with an image of ancient Hangzhou with rivers, and two characters, a man and a woman, dressed in ancient costumes. Next, a little girl appeared and sang the 19th Asian Games cheering song.
The closing ceremony, as well as the opening ceremony, was still directed by Mr. Sa Xiaolan. Mr. Sa was Zhang Yimou's assistant for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Closing ceremony uses digital stage
The opening ceremony was marked by a large oval screen placed on the field, showing eye-catching 3D images. Since the closing ceremony took place only 24 hours after the final event at Hangzhou Stadium, the screen was not installed in time. Instead, the organizers came up with the idea of creating a digital field with more than 40,000 light points. Therefore, the field will become a giant color palette, seen from a distance not much different from a large screen.
The pitch during the closing ceremony of the 19th Asian Games. Photo: Xinhua News Agency

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The closing ceremony of the 19th Asian Games will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 8, 2023, at Hangzhou Stadium in Zhejiang Province, China. The ceremony is expected to last about 90 minutes, significantly shorter than the opening ceremony. Chinese President Xi Jinping will not attend the opening ceremony, but Prime Minister Li Qiang will appear instead.

More than 12,000 athletes from 45 countries competed in the Games, of which 41 won medals. Four countries left China empty-handed: Bhutan, Timor Leste, Maldives and Yemen.

3D image of lotus flowers blooming outside Hangzhou Stadium during the closing ceremony. Photo: screenshot — 3D image of lotus flowers blooming outside Hangzhou Stadium during the closing ceremony. Photo: *screenshot*

Vietnam participated in the Asian Games with 504 members, including 337 athletes, competing in 31 sports. The team won 3 gold medals, 5 silver medals and 19 bronze medals, ranking 21st in the overall rankings, down four places compared to the previous edition. In terms of the region, Vietnam ranked sixth after Thailand with 12 gold medals, Indonesia with 7, Malaysia with 6, Philippines with 4 and Singapore with 3 gold medals and 6 silver medals. However, Vietnam also completed the set target of 2 to 5 gold medals.

Vietnam won medals in 12 events, led by the karate team with 1 gold, 1 silver and 2 bronze medals, followed by shooting and sepak takraw with one medal each. In addition, no other event brought home a gold medal for the team.

China topped the overall medal tally with 201 gold, 111 silver and 71 bronze medals. The host nation's gold medal tally was nearly four times that of second-placed Japan, and more than the combined achievements of the next eight teams.

China also broke the record of 199 gold medals they won at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou. This time they accounted for 41.7% of the 482 gold medals awarded at the Games.

The 19th Asian Games had 481 events, but the organizers awarded 482 gold medals. The only event that awarded two gold medals was Takayama Shunya (Japan) and Yaqoub Al Youha (Kuwait), when they both achieved the highest result in the men's 110m hurdles.

The 20th Asiad will take place in Aichi and Nagoya cities, Japan from September 19, 2026 to October 4, 2026.

Hoang An

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