In December 2003, the State Council of China officially approved Guangzhou's request to bid for the 16th Asian Games in 2010. On July 1, 2004, Guangzhou was officially awarded the rights to host the 16th Asian Games. With the support of the Chinese Government and the general public as well as the assistance of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and international friends, preparations for the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games are progressing smoothly as planned, laying a solid foundation for the success of the Games.
I Organizational Structure
The Guangzhou Asian Para Games Organising Committee has also been formed, consisting of the existing members of GAGOC and Executive Committee, as well as leaders of the China Handicapped People Federation and Guangzhou Handicapped People Federation.
(II) Schedule & Scale of Guangzhou Asian Games & Para Games
The Guangzhou Asian Para Games will open on December 12, 2010 and close on December 19. The Games will have 18 to 20 sports and are expected to attract about 4,000 athletes and 1,500 officials from 45 countries and regions, 2,500 technical officials, and 400 members and guests of the Paralympics Council of Asia.
(III) Venue Layout & Construction for Guangzhou Asian Games & Para Games
1. Venue Layout
The competition and non-competition venues for the Para Games are centralized to the largest extent possible and designed and constructed in sync with the venues for the Asian Games. The competition venues for the Para Games are concentrated in the University Town, the Asian Games Town, the Olympic Sports Center, and the Tianhe Sports Center, largely overlapping with the competition venues for the Asian Games. The non-competition venues for the Para Games (the Athletes Village, the Technical Officials Village, and the Press Village) will use the facilities at the Asian Games Town.
Venue Construction
Of the 12 new venues, four are currently under construction, including the Guangdong Olympics Swimming and Diving Hall, the Guangdong Olympic Tennis Center, the Nansha Stadium, and the Huadu Stadium. The other eight venues are in the bidding or design refinement stage, with construction expected to kick off by the end of 2008. Of the 58 newly renovated and expanded venues, the Guangzhou Stadium and the TriathlonVenue in the Central Lake Area of the University Town have been completed, and the playground, accessory ground and stadium of the Guangzhou Tianhe Sports Center are currently under renovation. The renovation and expansion works for other venues are either in the construction bidding or design stage as planned.
The Asian Games Town is the largest project among the venues for the Asian Games. Construction of the Asian Games commenced in November 2007 and is progressing smoothly at present. The three main building complexes – the Athletes' Village, the Technical Officials' Village, and the Media Village – are under construction. The other building complexes for the Asian Games Town, such as the Beach Volleyball Court and the Main Press Center, are in the stage of construction drawing design and bidding. Improvement of the surrounding environment of the Asian Games Town is in progress as well. All works are scheduled for completion by the end of June 2010.
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