Cycling team player Ahmed Al Mansouri and shooting team player Ghaya Al Shuhail have the honor of carrying the UAE flag at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games today, the 19th edition of which will be held in the Chinese city of Hangzhou and will continue until next October 8, with the participation of 12,000 athletes from 45 Asian countries. In 40 sports through 61 disciplines and 481 competitions, its competitions are held in 54 sports facilities, and the UAE participates in 20 individual and team sports.
Throughout the UAE’s participation in editions of the Asian Games since the 1978 Bangkok Games, the flag has not been absent from its presence in major continental forums, to be the best witness to the nation’s sporting glories and a prominent mark in each edition.
The opening ceremony of the Asian Games will begin at eight o’clock in the evening, China time, and four o’clock in the afternoon, UAE time, in the presence of Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China, a number of world heads of state, and senior public and sports figures, at the “Big Lotus” Olympic Stadium in Hangzhou, with a capacity of up to 80,000 spectators. Where athletics competitions and the opening and closing ceremonies will be held.
Yesterday, the headquarters of the Sports Village in Hangzhou witnessed the ceremony of raising the UAE flag at the Asian Games in a unique demonstration, where the entire delegation gathered around to chant the words of the national anthem, coinciding with raising the flag as part of the welcoming paragraphs dedicated to celebrating the delegations present in the village, before Ahmed Al-Tayeb, director of the delegation, exchanged Emirates commemorative shields with Li Hulin, mayor of the village.
On the other hand, rowing team player Hamad Al Matroushi bid farewell to the competition after participating in the individual rowing competition and being excluded from the list of finalists. He then went through rounds to determine the position holders with the players who did not reach the final rounds, occupying first place with a time of 8:03.66 minutes, while Singaporean Toh Wei ranked second with a time of 8:08.71 minutes, and Saudi Ali Reda came in third place with a time of 8:21.98 minutes.
Qais Al-Dhali, a member of the Board of Directors of the National Olympic Committee, confirmed in a press statement that UAE sports aspires to rise to the podium in several sports in the Asian Games, and to increase the number of medals compared to the “Jakarta Asiad 2018”, in which our athletes won 13 colorful medals.
The UAE is participating in the current tournament with a sports delegation that includes 140 male and female players in 20 individual and team games. Al-Dhali said: We have several sports that we are betting on to get medals, including jiu-jitsu, judo, and cycling. We will also compete strongly in rugby, considering that we are ranked second on the Asian level. Al-Dhali confirmed that after the end of participation in the current session, preparations will begin for the Asian Youth Games scheduled for Tashkent 2025, the Nagoya Asian Games 2026, and the Youth Olympic Games scheduled for Dakar 2026, especially the Gulf Youth Games, the first edition of which will be held in the Emirates next December.
The sailing team aims to achieve the best results
The sailing competitions continued for the second day in a row with the girls’ Elka 6 competition (Olympic category) by Doha Al Bishr, and Adel Khaled also participated in the Elka 7 competition in the men’s Olympic category. Doha Al Bishr confirmed in a press statement that the team is on its way to achieving the best results and collecting points cumulatively in light of the strong competitions witnessed in the daily races until the end of the last day, as the competition takes place over seven consecutive days. The team continues its journey today by competing in 3 races in the Elka 4 category through Mohammed Al Zaabi, in the Elka 4 Girls category through Kamelia Al Qubaisi, and in the Elka 6 category through Doha Al Bishr, and Adel Khaled is competing in the Elka 7 competition.
Al Tamimi: The large participation reflects the UAE’s interest in sports
Nasser Al-Tamimi, Secretary-General of the Judo Federation and a member of the Board of Directors of the National Olympic Committee, confirmed that the judo team aims to win the Asian Games, and said in a press statement: “The team is fully prepared after conducting a strong preparatory program, in addition to that we are seeking to enhance our score of points in the tournament.” The qualifying race for the Olympic Games (Paris 2024).”
He added: We thank the General Sports Authority and the National Olympic Committee for the participation of this large number of athletes, which reflects the image of the Emirates and interest in sports. The greater the number of participants, the greater our chances of achieving better results. We expect that there are 5 to 6 sports ready to achieve medals in the tournament. Asian Games, which is positive for us.
• The UAE participates in the Asian Games with a sports delegation that includes 140 male and female players from 20 individual and team sports.
2023-09-22 22:03:18
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