China's pageant of high-profile sporting extravaganzas is set to continue next year with Guangzhou set to host to the 16th Asian Games. The event will follow hot on the heels of China's 2009 National Games and Beijing's hugely successful hosting of the 2008 Olympics.
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The volunteers has been undergoing training for the 2010 Asian Games.
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The Asian Games will see teams from across Asia - including Japan, India, Thailand and the Philippines - converging in Guangzhou, the provincial capital of Guangdong in southern China, to compete in some 464 separate events. This will be the second time that China has played host to the event, following Beijing staging the eleventh Asian Games back in 1990.
Even though the 16th games will take place against a backdrop of international financial concern, the organizers of the 2010 event are determined that this will in no way detract from their commitment to staging 'the most important pan-Asian sporting event'.
The event's organizers, the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (GAGOC), are determined to make the event "the most successful and the largest Asian Games in history," and have called on sports fans across China to support the project.
GAGOC's enthusiasm for the event is echoed by Zhang Guangning, the mayor of Guangzhou: "We, in the city government, pledge our all out support for the work being undertaken by GAGOC in the coming months.
"I urge all of the city's government departments, local businesses and the people of Guangzhou to rally round and support this hugely significant event."
Zhang said the local government was already committed to building closer links with the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), the event's ultimate parent body. It is also mid-way through a program of constructing a raft of dedicated sporting facilities to accommodate the event and has initiated a major upgrade to its transport infrastructure.
The Asian Games are the most important sporting event to be held in China in 2010, and the GAGOC will spare no effort in promoting and organizing a truly memorable event.
Sponsorship partners
The event, scheduled to take place between November 12-27 next year, has already attracted sponsorship worth more than 2 billion yuan ($292.83 million) according to GAGOC, with a number of other high profile backers still waiting in the wings.
In something of a coup for a China-based company, JDB - best known for its Wang Laoji brand of herbal tea - has snapped up the rights to be the event's exclusive soft drinks provider. The deal, which excludes specific sports drinks, sees the Hong Kong company securing a package that has normally been reserved for US carbonated drinks giants, such as Pepsi or Coca-Cola.
Explaining the appeal of the event for more locally-based companies, Xu Ruisheng, executive deputy general of GAGOC and vice-mayor of Guangzhou, said: "The Asian Games understandably give local companies a great chance to expand their share of the Asian market. As Chinese athletes are now known for their outstanding performance at these games, there will be enormous interest among sports fans watching this event. Our sponsorship packages ensure that Chinese companies, as well as athletes, will be winners in 2010."
The forthcoming games, also known as the "Asiad", will serve as something of a showcase for the region's traditional Lingnan culture. Lingan culture, a characteristic of Guangdong and its nearby provinces in southeastern China, can trace its roots back to the late nineteenth century and is marked by the central role of herbal tea in many of its traditions. It is no coincidence that the founder of the Wang Laoji brand was born in the area some 150 years ago.
Involvement of the public
A key element of GAGOC's proposals in the run-up to the game is generating high levels of sporting participation from local residents.
Liu Jiangnan, director of the Guangzhou city sports bureau and deputy secretary general of GACOC, said: "As well as focusing on the games themselves, we should also promote the development of sports in general. Greater public participation in sporting activities will be an ideal preparation for the 2010 games."
As part of its preparations for the event, the city will host several domestic and international sporting events in the coming year, including a number of exhibition matches featuring overseas soccer and tennis stars.
Events already scheduled include the Sudirman World Badminton Team Championships, the 2009 Asian Track and Field Championships and the Guangzhou International Women's Tennis Open. Plans are also well advanced to invite a number of the leading football teams from both the English Premier League and the German Bundesliga to play 'friendly' matches against local teams.
Liu said: "These events are intended to encourage more people to get involved in sports and other physical activities."
