Asian Para Games: Hangzhou 2022 cauldron lit as Games open after one-year delay

The Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games opened 22 October 2023, with more than 3,000 athletes showcasing the best of Para sports in the multisport event held a year before the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

Held following a one-year postponement because of COVID-19, athletes from 44 National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) will compete in 564 medal events across 22 sports. The Games, which run through 28 October, is an important stop on the road to Paris 2024 and serves as a qualification opportunity in some of the sports.

The Asian Para Games were declared open by China’s Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang at Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Stadium.

The wait is over

Osmanthus flowers, which bloom in Hangzhou in autumn and known for their sweet scent, was at the centre of the Opening Ceremony. The event also combined Chinese tradition with modern technology. As the fragrance of the orange flowers filled the stadium, the ceremony started with a journey of girl with a vision impairment, who wanted to pursue her dreams.

Athletes from the 44 delegations waved to the crowd and smiled in front of the camera as they took part in the athletes’ parade. Host China was last into the stadium, led by two flagbearers, wheelchair basketball player Huang Xiaolian and wheelchair fencer Sun Gang.

With more than 400 athletes, China has the biggest team at the fourth edition of the Asian Para Games, held three years after the country topped the medals table at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.

Technology was on full display during the Opening Ceremony. Athletes and spectators were able to enjoy the picturesque landscape of Hangzhou through digital imagery, while the cauldron was lit by Para swimmer Xu Jialing, who shot to stardom at the previous Asian Para Games in Indonesia, together with the Games mascot Feifei, using a futuristic bionic arm.

In his opening remark, Majid Rashed, president of the Asian Paralympic Committee, said the Hangzhou 2022 Opening Ceremony is “special” since everybody had to wait an extra year and overcome so many challenges during the pandemic.

Addressing the athletes in the stands, Rashed said, “You have given blood, sweat and tears to make it here and over the next six days, you will give your all to put in the performance of your lifetime. And the impact of your performance will go beyond whatever result you achieve or the colour of any medal that you may win.

“Through your performances, your skill, your strength, your passion, you are showing the world that there is no limit to what can be achieved with determination and courage,” he added. “And this will inspire more young people with impairments to follow in your footsteps and encourage governments to increase their support for people with disabilities.”

Asia’s best

China is hosting the fourth edition of the Asian Para Games, more than a decade after holding the inaugural Games in Guangzhou in 2010.  In Hangzhou, Para taekwondo and Para canoeing have been added to the programme for the first time, while other sports are Para athletics, Para table tennis and boccia.

With Paris 2024 approaching, Para athletes from around the world are gunning to earn a spot for the Paralympics.

At the Asian Para Games, athletes competing in shooting Para sport can book qualification slots for their National Paralympic Committees (NPCs) in certain designated events; while in wheelchair tennis, the winners in the men’s and women’s singles tournament will earn tickets to Paris. In Para table tennis, one slot will go to the winner of each singles event.

Para table tennis competition started ahead of the Opening Ceremony on 22 October at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Gymnasium

“To play in China is so important for me so I want to get a good result. The atmosphere and the venue here is perfect,” said Chinese Para table tennis player Shuai Zhao, who won two gold medals at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.

 “I would like to get a gold medal here and qualify (for Paris).”

Hangzhou 2022 will close on 28 October.