The 19th Asian Games officially opens today at China’s Hangzhou Olympic Stadium, with a capacity of up to 80,000 spectators, with the participation of 12,000 athletes from 45 countries, including Palestine, participating in 40 sports.
The Palestinian gold medal swim team winners, Valerie Tarazi and Yazan al-Bawab, will carry the Palestine flag and lead the national team at the opening ceremony, which begins at eight in the evening, China time, three in the afternoon, Palestine time, in the presence of Chinese President Xi Jinping, a number of world heads of state, and senior public and sports figures.
Tarazi won two golds, three silvers, and a bronze in the recent Arab Games in Algeria, while al-Bawab won two gold medals.
Jibril Rjoub, head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, met with the Palestinian team in the sports village where he stressed the importance of participating in the Asian Games, also known as Asiad, a continental multi-sport event held every fourth year among athletes from all over Asia, urging them to do their best at the games.
The Asia Games will continue through October 8.
