Experts' views on Hangzhou Asian Games

MA XUEJING/CHINA DAILY

Editor's note: The 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou will help enhance mutual understanding among people in Asia. Apart from being a green Asian Games, it will also showcase China's modernization as well as traditional Chinese culture. Hangzhou has also made plans to integrate the infrastructure for the Asiad with its urban development. Three experts share their views on the issue with China Daily.

Living the sports dream in Hangzhou

By Mario Cavolo

Living in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province for two years (2016-17) was an unexpected delight. The city has always been known as one of the best, most famous and beautiful cities to live in. Back in the "good old days", it was a four-hour drive from Shanghai. Now it takes 45 minutes to cover the 180 kilometers by a high-speed train.

During my two-year stay in Hangzhou, we used to hop into our car to explore the lovely landscapes of Zhejiang, and often drove down to the Thousand Islets Lake. We were never disappointed. I even performed a solo jazz piano concert at the splendid Hangzhou Grand Theater near the Qiantang River whose annual tidal bores were always a tourist's favorite.

The Qiantang River's tidal bores have now found their way into the official emblem of the Asian Games, which opened in Hangzhou on Saturday and will continue till Oct 8. The charming and romantic strolls through the sculpted tea fields were soothing to the soul. And stopping at the lush, delightful gardens of Hangzhou Zoo was always fun.

Home to so much lifestyle goodness, Hangzhou is most suited to host the 2023 Asian Games. Incidentally, China is hosting the multisports event for the third time; Beijing hosted the games in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010. A source of pride and unity for the region, the Hangzhou Asian Games continue China's focus on warm, friendly international relations.

That's precisely what the official slogan, Heart to Heart, @Future, conveys. It echoes the past while heralding the future, and steering the participating countries toward warm, friendly relationships.

The world needs more of what the Asian Games offer: a platform for athletes from different countries to come together and compete in the spirit of friendship and camaraderie. Much like the Olympics, the Asian Games also offer an opportunity for participating countries to showcase their cultures and traditions, apart from their sports prowess.

On the domestic front, because of China's active promotion of sports, there has been an uptick in people's interest in sports over the years. No wonder China has been producing one excellent athlete after another who have been making a mark on the international stage.

These efforts began during the 1990 Asian Games in Beijing and gathered tremendous pace after the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympic Games. Who can forget the spectacular sight of gymnast Li Ning running around the stadium? I remember seeing ads in my apartment building's elevator featuring Shi Tingmao, winner of four Olympic gold medals in springboard diving, after the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics, which had been deferred to 2021 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

China has implemented several programs aimed at developing young sports talents. The country's interests have moved far beyond table tennis and badminton. For example, along the Hunhe River in downtown Shenyang, the many basketball courts built under the bridges along the Shenyang Water Bay Park are often crowded from morning to evening with players.

China has been a strong supporter of the Asian Games, and in recent years, it has taken several steps to strengthen its relations with Asian countries. In November 2021, for instance, China and ASEAN agreed to elevate their ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership, with the aim of expanding cooperation between China and the member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations in various fields. That the 19th Asian Games are being held in China means cooperation now includes the world of sports.

Besides, the local touch in the Asian Games is evident in Chinese auto giant Geely, which has its headquarters in Hangzhou, being chosen to provide the vehicle fleet for the sports gala.

The Asian Games are not only recognized by the International Olympic Committee but also the second-largest sporting event worldwide, providing athletes with an opportunity to showcase their talent, and gain valuable experience and exposure that can help them in the future.

The 19th Asian Games are a grand celebration of sportsmanship and friendship and, more important, will give the visiting athletes a chance to experience Hangzhou, one of China's most beloved and beautiful cities.

The author is a non-resident senior fellow of the Center for China and Globalization.

Games, business need balanced development

By Franco Ascani

The 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou opened on Saturday. Hangzhou has previously hosted a number of international sports events, including the 2018 FINA World Swimming Championships, FINA World Aquatics Convention, contributing to the city's reputation as an international sports hub.

Major international sports events have become an important source of revenue for the host cities and countries, with the revenue being generated both in the short and long term.

International sports events require host countries to make huge investments in infrastructure. And the revenue for host cities and countries comes from TV rights, licensing and ticketing, as well as the tourism and hospitality industries. International sports events involve national and international sports bodies, with the host cities and countries required to comply to their demands.

For the Olympic Games, the income from TV rights and top sponsors helps fund the organizational costs and pay the International Olympic Committee and the domestic Olympic body. Nowadays, Olympic host cities and countries also earn revenue from multimedia and streaming rights.

Major sports events also boost tourism and generate tourism revenue.

The 2026 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina (Italy) will likely be an example of the Winter Games being spread across cities. It is therefore necessary to analyze the possible future trends in fields such as TV and mobile internet platforms to understand the future business model of international sports galas.

Sports is a magical and extraordinary human adventure. Multimedia platforms, along with live telecasts and live streaming, create better awareness of sports, the Olympic Movement and its values and ethics.

Since at least 2,000 sports TV channels are operating across the five continents, it is necessary for them to understand what exactly viewers in different countries or cities want to watch on their TV screens. This means the channels have to make sure their contents suit their target audience. Also, the sports channels have to improve their production and telecast quality, and know how to tweak their contents so viewers find even lesser-known sports attractive.

It is also necessary to examine and study possible sources of sustainable funding and revenue to ensure the control of sports does not slip out of the hands of "sports authorities" and prevent sports events from becoming only business. As such, there is a need to maximize the potential benefits by associating with marketing and commercial partners, after a thorough analysis of the present and future of TV and multimedia rights for major sporting events around the world.

The more important an event is, the more media outlets will be attracted to it. And where there are media outlets, there will be sponsors, leading to the formation of an "unholy trinity", which could change the "laws" of sports.

For instance, in order to host the 2022 Football World Cup, Qatar invested about $220 billion in different areas, including infrastructure, much more than in previous World Cups, generating a turnover which could be compared to that of the Olympic Games.

For the 2023 Women's Football World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, the numbers of spectators and TV viewers doubled compared with the 2019 Women's World Cup in France.

And for the 2023 Rugby World Cup, France expects 600,000 more visitors than the average for the period and aims to sell 2.5 million tickets, earning a revenue of $216 billion.

A recent study carried out by the Fédération Internationale Cinéma Télévision Sportifs (which has 130 member countries and is recognized by the IOC) shows the changes in the TV market, the multiplication of broadcasting rights (including free access, satellite, digital, cable and internet) and the corresponding prices requested by the markets, as well as the relationship between a sports event and direct and indirect advertising in all its variants.

These developments mean sports bodies, both international and national, have to take measures to ensure sports and sports events, don't become toys in the hands of advertisers and sponsors.

The author is the president of the Federation Internationale Cinema Television Sportifs, an organization recognized by the IOC, and a member of the IOC's Culture and Olympic Heritage Commission.

Sporting events boost host cities' economic growth

By Xu Kaijuan

China has been hosting international and Asian sports galas since 1990 when Beijing hosted the Asian Games. Beijing has also played host to the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2022 Winter Olympics. And while Guangzhou, Guangdong province, hosted the 2010 Asian Games, Chengdu, Sichuan province, played host to the 31st FISU World University Games from July 28 to Aug 8.

Now Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, is hosting the 19th Asian Games which opened on Saturday and will conclude on Oct 8.

These big sports events, together with grassroots competitions, such as the "Village Basketball Association Competition", dubbed "Village BA", in Taipan village in Guizhou province, and the "Village Super (Soccer) League", in Rongjian county in the same province contribute to China's national physical fitness campaign.

A sports event also promotes the image of the host city and stimulates its development. So, cities now see sports events, whether international or domestic, as a way of improving people's livelihoods and injecting new vitality into the socioeconomic life.

To host a big sports event, a city has to build and renovate stadiums and other sports venues, as well as parks and install exercise equipment, so people can use them to stay physically fit or improve their physical health.

Host cities have learned to put vacant places to good use. They build roofs and canopies in open spaces, and/or develop underpasses to install fitness equipment to encourage more people to join the national fitness campaign. Accordingly, in September, China's General Administration of Sport announced four standards for mass sport events, in a bid to attract more people to sports.

For example, the success of the World University Games in Chengdu inspired a large number of people in the city to take up or resume playing sports. Chengdu has held a series of grassroots sports activities, including hiking, running and cycling.

Good sports facilities are needed to encourage people to participate in sports and boost the consumption of sports gear and related products. Many places are holding different sports competitions including cycling, running, rock-climbing, and extreme sports to meet people's rising diversified demands for recreation.

Open, big sports events can boost the consumption of sports gear, which in turn will boost overall domestic demand. For example, the Hangzhou 19th Asian Games, the second-largest multi-sport event, after the Summer Olympics, are expected to create 414.1 billion yuan ($56.8 billion) worth of gross domestic product, generating an income of about 103.3 billion yuan for the city and providing jobs for about 670,000 people. As such, the Asian Games are likely to boost Hangzhou's development, helping it become a full-fledged modern metropolis.

Also, the Wuxi Marathon, recognized by World Athletics as a road race and held in Wuxi, Jiangsu province, attracted about 33,000 participants in March and made a profit of 195 million yuan from industries such as catering, accommodation, transportation and tourism. Suzhou, another city in Jiangsu, hosted the Sudirman Cup World Badminton Mixed Team Championships in May, and revenue from ticket sales of the eight-day event was 34 million yuan, with people's sports-related spending exceeding 410 million yuan.

Grassroots sports competitions, too, help boost local economies due to an increase in consumption. This shows a sports event is no longer about sports alone; it is also about the host city's economic development. A sports event is also a good opportunity for the host city to demonstrate its charm.

China has introduced several policies to upgrade the sports industry and build "sports cities", so quite a few cities have been attaching greater importance to sports and sports events.

However, in the long term, China needs to build more world-class sports cities, and improve people's livelihoods by hosting more sports events, thereby boosting host cities' economies.

The views don't necessarily reflect those of China Daily.

The author is an associate professor of Shanghai University of Sports.