China launches the torch relay for its Covid-delayed Asian Games

The torch relay opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games was held on 8 September in Hangzhou, China. Women's swimmer Luo Xuejuan, women's 100m breaststroke champion from Hangzhou, became the first torch bearer at the Athens Olympics.

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106 torch bearers from different regions took part in the Asian Games torch relay held in Hangzhou. They include advanced workers, famous sportspersons, local workers and artisans etc. After Hangzhou, the torch relay will be done in 11 cities of Chiang. Its last stop will be completed on September 20 after returning to Hangzhou.

Fans waving miniature national flags packed into the area around the city's West Lake several hours before the start of the launch ceremony. A pair of top officials then ignited the sleek metal torch before a succession of national luminaries paraded it through the streets. The Asian Games starts in Hangzhou, a city in eastern China famed for its elegant temples, canals, and bridges, on September 23.

Hangzhou Asian Games had been due to hold the Games in September last year. But they were postponed because of China's strict zero-Covid rules, which have since been abandoned. Participants on Friday, all clad in white tracksuits with red trim, included former swimming world champion Luo Xuejuan and Daniel Zhang, CEO of Hangzhou-based tech giant Alibaba. Some in the vast crowds had come from farther afield, including Peng, a tourist from the southern island province of Hainan.

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The 2023 Asian Games is set to be the largest edition ever, with 12,500 athletes from 45 countries and regions.