China's Hangzhou to make 19th Asian Games smarter

The concept of "Smart Asian Games" permeates every aspect of preparations for the 19th Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province.

From venue operations and maintenance to service support and the continuous improvement of spectator experience, Zhejiang province is utilizing diverse technologies to enhance the intelligence of the Games, striving to present a splendid event.

Photo taken on July 8, 2022, shows the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center cluster for the 19th Asian Games to be held in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province. (People's Daily Online/Ding Junhao)

The digital intelligence management center for the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou's Binjiang district has adopted a digital twin system that builds in the virtual space a model of a multipurpose sports cluster for the Games, including the main stadium and a tennis center, as well as supporting facilities and indoor control consoles.

The digital twin system obtains real data and information related to venue operations such as energy use, real-time conditions, as well as visitor and traffic flows. Through real-time perception, it can pinpoint abnormal equipment and emergencies, thus enabling comprehensive management of the venue complex.

The equestrian center in Hangzhou's Tonglu county is leveraging an advanced intelligent system to improve horse management for equestrian competitions at the Hangzhou Asian Games.

"We have set up comprehensive digital profiles for horses, and process data such as horses' health condition, quarantine sampling, sanitation in the stable area, feed inventory and usage through digital means, so as to provide information-based support for horse service," said Wu Xiaoping, IT director of the equestrian center.

Equestrian competitions have high requirements for the weather. According to Wu, the intelligent system also accesses meteorological monitoring data.

Through a weather station set up in a corner of the venue, the system tracks weather, temperature, humidity, air pressure, rainfall, wind direction, wind speed and visibility around the venue in real-time, providing support for event operations, Wu added.

Photo taken on June 14, 2023, shows the Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium, a venue of the 19th Asian Games Hangzhou 2022 in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province. Water polo events of the 19th Asian Games will be held there. (People's Daily Online/Long Wei)

Intelligence is also reflected in the details of operations and maintenance for the Games across the province.

For instance, 18 sensors are installed beneath the turf of the Wenzhou Sports Center Stadium, one of the venues for the soccer matches of the Hangzhou Asian Games. These sensors collect and analyze data including root-zone temperature, moisture, pH value, as well as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium contents, and even the light intensity on the turf surface, thus enabling science-based turf maintenance.

In Deqing county, the Deqing Sports Center Gymnasium has built a smart venue system containing modules for intelligent environment and security control to realize integrated management of the venue.

A sports and culture exhibition center in Hangzhou's Lin'an district has established a database for materials so that everything from faucets to steel frames can be tracked for quality control through QR codes.

At the headquarters of the Hangzhou Branch of China Qi-yuan, an official agency responsible for board games and card games, an intelligent lighting control system can carry out centralized management and remote control of lighting based on pedestrian flow and outdoor light conditions.

At the Ningbo Xiangshan Banbianshan Beach Volleyball Center, the venue for holding the beach volleyball event of the Hangzhou Asian Games, the State Grid's Ningbo power supply branch conducted a drill, which simulated a failure of a 10 kV power line supplying electricity to the center.

A new energy vehicle is charging at a wireless charging station run by the State Grid in the Asian Games village in Hangzhou, east China's Zhejiang province, Aug. 7, 2023. (People's Daily Online/Long Wei)

As soon as the simulated failure occurred, a "smart brain" distribution automation system swiftly pinpointed the location of the fault. It immediately dispatched commands through encrypted channels to intelligent control switches along the power line, instructing them to isolate the fault section and reroute the supply via a backup line. Within seconds, power was restored to the venue.

On the roads outside a softball and baseball stadium in Shaoxing, a self-driving shuttle bus decorated with Asian Games elements was running, carrying spectators. Without a cab or steering wheel, it looked like a futuristic space capsule equipped with radars and visual cameras.

"Xiao Yu, please set the air conditioner to 26 degrees Celsius," a passenger said.

If feeling too cold or hot on the bus, passengers can summon the robot "Xiao Yu" on the intelligent screen and ask it to adjust lighting and temperature with simple voice commands.

Running on the first self-driving bus route for Asian Games in Zhejiang province, the bus featured an autonomous driving system capable of scanning the vehicle's surroundings, thereby handling lane keeping, cruise control, and automatic obstacle avoidance.

During the Asian Games, these autonomous shuttle buses will provide transportation services between the center and metro stations for local residents and spectators.