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The 2010 Asian Games (), officially known as the XVI Asian Games () and also known as Guangzhou 2010 (), was a regional multi-sport event celebrated from November 12 to November 27, 2010 in
Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, sou ...
, Guangdong, China, although several events commenced earlier on November 7, 2010. It was the second time China had hosted the Asian Games, with the first one being Asian Games 1990 hosted in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
. Guangzhou's three neighboring cities, Dongguan,
Foshan Foshan (, ), alternately romanized as Fatshan, is a prefecture-level city in central Guangdong Province, China. The entire prefecture covers and had a population of 9,498,863 as of the 2020 census. The city is part of the western side of the ...
and Shanwei co-hosted the Games. Premier Wen Jiabao opened the Games along the Pearl River in Haixinsha Island. A total of 53 venues were used to host the events, including 11 constructed for use at the Games. The design concept of the official logo of the 2010 Asian Games was based on the legend of the Guangzhou's Five Goats, representing the Five Goats as the Asian Games Torch. A total of 9,704 athletes from 45 National Olympic Committees (NOCs) competed in 476 events from 42 sports and disciplines (28 Olympic sports and 14 non-Olympic sports), making it the largest event in the history of the Games. Due to reductions in the number of sports for competition in the
2014 Asian Games The 2014 Asian Games ( ko, 2014년 아시아 경기대회/2014년 아시안 게임, Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asia gyeonggi daehoe/Icheon sip-sa nyeon Asian Geim), officially known as the 17th Asian Games ( ko, 제17회 아시아 경기대회/제17회 ...
, these Games marked the final time that six non-Olympic events would be held during the Asian Games.
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
led the final medal tally, followed by
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
in second place, and
Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...
in third place. China set a new Games record with 199 gold medals. Three world and 103 Asian records were broken.
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
and
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...
won their first ever Asian Games gold medals. In addition, the badminton men's singles gold medalist Lin Dan was voted as the
most valuable player In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a partic ...
(MVP). The President of the Olympic Council of Asia Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah hailed the Games as "outstanding" and "one of the best ever."


Bidding process

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the Capital city, capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the North Korea, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea ...
and Amman dropped out before their bids were officially selected by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), leaving only two candidate cities — Guangzhou and
Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...
— by March 31, 2004. Seoul withdrew after considering that South Korea hosted the 2002 Games in
Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea ...
, only eight years earlier. The evaluation committee of the OCA inspected Kuala Lumpur from April 12 to 14 and Guangzhou from April 14 to 16 of 2004. On April 15, 2004, the
Government of Malaysia The Government of Malaysia, officially the Federal Government of Malaysia ( ms, Kerajaan Persekutuan Malaysia), is based in the Federal Territory of Putrajaya with the exception of the legislative branch, which is located in Kuala Lumpur. Malays ...
declared that it would not support the
Olympic Council of Malaysia Olympic Council of Malaysia, or commonly OCM or MOM, ( ms, Majlis Olimpik Malaysia, IOC code: MAS) is the National Olympic Committee representing Malaysia. It is also the body responsible for Malaysia's representation at the Commonwealth Games. H ...
with a Kuala Lumpur bid due to the high cost of hosting the Games, estimated at $366 million US dollars, forcing Kuala Lumpur to withdraw its bid and leaving Guangzhou as the sole bidder. The OCA unanimously selected Guangzhou to host the 2010 Games during their 23rd General Assembly session in
Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor, it is home to m ...
, Qatar, site of the 2006 Asian Games, on July 1, 2004.


Development and preparations


Costs

On March 11, 2005,
Lin Shusen Lin Shusen (born December 1946) is a politician of the People's Republic of China. He was Governor and Deputy Communist Party Chief of Guizhou Province from 2006 to 2010. Prior to that he was Communist Party Chief and Mayor of Guangzhou, capi ...
, then party secretary of the Guangzhou Municipal Committee of the
Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and sole ruling party of the People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victorious in the Chinese Ci ...
(CCP) said the Games "will not cost more than 2 billion", in stark contrast to an earlier report, which had claimed that the cost could exceed ¥200 billion. In March 2009, the director of the marketing department of the Games, Fang Da'er, claimed that the Games were short of funds, due to the lack of sponsorship and the global financial crisis. An informal estimate put the Games' expenditure at about US$420 million and revenue at US$450 million. On October 13, 2010, Wan Qingliang, mayor of Guangzhou at the time, officially revealed in a press conference that the total cost of staging the Asian Games and
Asian Para Games The Asian Para Games also known as Para Asiad is a multi-sport event regulated by the Asian Paralympic Committee that's held every four years after every Asian Games for athletes with physical disabilities. Both events had adopted the strateg ...
is about ¥122.6 billion ( $18.37 billion), with ¥109 billion spent on the city's infrastructure, ¥6.3 billion on the venues and some ¥7.3 billion spent on the Games' operations. The full spending details would be released before 2013, according to the city's finance chief Zhang Jieming. It was later reported that Guangzhou generated US$32 billion (¥210 billion) debt after staging the games.


Volunteers

Volunteer recruitment program for the 2010 Asian Games began at 9 pm on April 21, 2009, with a target of 60,000 games-time volunteers. The volunteers were given a green short-sleeve t-shirt, a green long-sleeve t-shirt, a sport jacket, a pair of trousers, a hat, a water bottle, a pair of sport shoes and a waist bag.


Torch relay

Two torch designs were shortlisted in September 2009 for the 2010 Asian Games. A design named "The Tide" was chosen over one named "Exploit" by the organizers as the torch of the Games. "The Tide" weighs 98 g and is 70 cm long, and is tall and straight in shape, while dynamic in terms of image. The torch relay route was unveiled on March 4, 2010, and due to budgetary issues and the problems related to 2008 Summer Olympics torch relay, the organizers decided to carry it out on a smaller scale than those carried out in previous editions. The torch was
Guangdong Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020 ...
province and was traveled across 21 major cities of the
Guangdong Province Guangdong (, ), alternatively romanized as Canton or Kwangtung, is a coastal province in South China on the north shore of the South China Sea. The capital of the province is Guangzhou. With a population of 126.01 million (as of 2020) ...
. The flame of the torch was lit at the
Great Wall of China The Great Wall of China (, literally "ten thousand ''li'' wall") is a series of fortifications that were built across the historical northern borders of ancient Chinese states and Imperial China as protection against various nomadic grou ...
on October 9, 2010, and traveled around the
Temple of Heaven The Temple of Heaven () is a complex of imperial religious buildings situated in the southeastern part of central Beijing. The complex was visited by the Emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties for annual ceremonies of prayer to Heaven for a ...
in
Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), Chinese postal romanization, alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the Capital city, capital of the China, People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's Li ...
. As originally scheduled 21 cities were present in the list of relay, with 2,010 torchbearers expected to carry it from October 12 to November 12, 2010; however, two more cities — 
Changchun Changchun (, ; ), also romanized as Ch'angch'un, is the capital and largest city of Jilin Province, People's Republic of China. Lying in the center of the Songliao Plain, Changchun is administered as a , comprising 7 districts, 1 county and 3 ...
in
Jilin Jilin (; Postal romanization, alternately romanized as Kirin or Chilin) is one of the three Provinces of China, provinces of Northeast China. Its capital and largest city is Changchun. Jilin borders North Korea (Rasŏn, North Hamgyong, R ...
and Haiyang in
Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in His ...
, the host cities of
2007 Asian Winter Games The 6th Asian Winter Games () were held in Changchun, Jilin, China from January 28 to February 4, 2007. The Winter Games are a celebration of Winter sports in Asia. This was the second time that China hosted the Asian Winter Games; the first was ...
and 2012 Asian Beach Games respectively, were also later added to the route for a single day on October 15, 2010, increasing the number of torchbearers to 2,068 people.


Marketing


Emblem

The official emblem of the Games was unveiled at
Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall The National Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hall () is located in Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan. It is a memorial to the Republic of China's National Father, Dr. Sun Yat-sen, and was completed in 1972. The total building area covers in an open space ...
on November 26, 2006, to prepare the city to succeed
Doha 2006 Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...
as Asian Games host city. It is a stylized representation of Guangzhou's "Statue of the Five Goats" ( zh, c=五羊雕像, p=Wǔ yáng diāoxiàng) fused with a running track. In Chinese tradition, the
goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...
is a blessing and brings people luck, and the host city Guangzhou is known as the "City of Goats". The orange and yellow emblem also resembles a
flame A flame (from Latin '' flamma'') is the visible, gaseous part of a fire. It is caused by a highly exothermic chemical reaction taking place in a thin zone. When flames are hot enough to have ionized gaseous components of sufficient density the ...
.


Mascots

The mascots of the Games were five goat rams. They were unveiled on April 28, 2008, at the Guangzhou Baiyun International Convention and Exhibition Center. The five goat rams, including four small and one large, were named A Xiang (), A He (), A Ru (), A Yi () and Le Yangyang (). The Chinese character "yang" (羊) or "goat" is an auspicious symbol because when read together, the Chinese names of the five rams are a message of blessing, literally meaning "Peace, Harmony and Great Happiness, with everything going as you wish." ( zh, c=祥和如意乐洋洋, p=Xiánghé rúyì lè yángyáng), which represents the hopes of Guangzhou people that the Games will bring peace, auspiciousness and happiness to the people of Asia. A Xiang is described as a handsome, stylish, sincere and brave goat who wears the blue outfit that resembles the blue ring of the Olympic emblem, symbolizes the ever-running Pearl River and the gentle and kind character and broad and welcoming heart of the Guangzhou people. A He is described as an earthy, modest, serene and decisive goat who wears the black outfit that resembles the black ring of the Olympic emblem, symbolizes the grand heritage and long history of the Lingnan culture. A Ru is described as a beautiful, fashionable, smart and passionate goat who wears the red outfit that resembles the red ring of the Olympic emblem, symbolizes the red kapok (''
Bombax ceiba ''Bombax ceiba'', like other trees of the genus ''Bombax'', is commonly known as cotton tree. More specifically, it is sometimes known as Malabar silk-cotton tree; red silk-cotton; red cotton tree; or ambiguously as silk-cotton or kapok, both of ...
'') – the city flower of Guangzhou and hence the nickname of Guangzhou as The City of Flowers. A Yi is described as a nifty, cute, lively and outgoing goat who wears the green outfit that resembles the green ring of the Olympic emblem, symbolizes the city’s famous Baiyun Mountain. Le Yangyang is described as the tall, handsome, sunny and confident leader of the goat ram mascot team, who wears the yellow outfit that resembles the yellow ring of the Olympic emblem, symbolizes the color of rice spike and hence the nickname of Guangzhou as The City of Rice Spike.


Medals

The medal designs themed the "Maritime part of the
Silk Road The Silk Road () was a network of Eurasian trade routes active from the second century BCE until the mid-15th century. Spanning over 6,400 kilometers (4,000 miles), it played a central role in facilitating economic, cultural, political, and rel ...
" were unveiled at Guangzhou No. 2 Children's Palace on 29 September 2010. It featured the Emblem of the Olympic Council of Asia and Guangzhou's kapok flower on the obverse and the Maritime part Silk Road image and the games' logo on the reverse. The Maritime Silk Road image depicts a Chinese boat sailing on the sea, represents Guangzhou as the starting place of Maritime part of the Silk Road, as the most important commercial center and entrepot of the Southern China, Hong Kong and Macau regions.


Motto

The official motto of the 2010 Asian Games is "Thrilling Games, Harmonious Asia" (). It was chosen to represent the goal of the Asian Games which is based on Olympic ideals and values, aimed at creating a competitive atmosphere for participating athletes while promoting unity, peace and friendship among Asian people regardless of differences in race, nationality, religious beliefs and language.


Promotion

Two years before the games, "Road of Asia" tour was launched at Tianhe Sports Center to promote the games throughout the region. A ceremony was held on 12 November 2009 at the Guangzhou Gymnasium to mark the one-year milestone before the Games.


Merchandising

Organizers started selling licensed Asian Games products with introduction of first batch in January 2008. On May 7, 2009,
Southern Metropolis Daily Southern Metropolis Daily (SMD) is a for-profit tabloid newspaper located in Guangzhou city, China,Wang, Xiaotong. 2012. "The Comparison Between Newspapers In Hong Kong And Mainland And Its Enlightenment – A Case Study On Apple Daily And Sout ...
newspaper signed a contract with the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (GAGOC) and became the exclusive online retailer of the 16th Asiad's licensed products.


Music

The official theme song was released on September 30, 2010, and is called "''Reunion''" ( zh, c=重逢, p=chóng féng). It was composed by Wu Liqun, with lyrics written by Xu Rongkai, while the English version was translated by
Chen Ning Yang Yang Chen-Ning or Chen-Ning Yang (; born 1 October 1922), also known as C. N. Yang or by the English name Frank Yang, is a Chinese theoretical physicist who made significant contributions to statistical mechanics, integrable systems, gauge t ...
, a Chinese-American physicist, and his wife, Weng Fan. The song was performed by
Sun Nan Sun Nan (; born February 18, 1969) is a pop singer from Dalian in mainland China. His songs include "Be there or Be Square", "The Wind Goes to North", "Save", and his song for the 2008 Summer Olympics, "Forever Friends". Sun's album ''Crescent ...
and the late Yao Beina. Sun Nan also performed it again with
Mao Amin Mao Amin ( born 1962)Zu-yan Chen, Robert Daly, and Hong Zhang, ''Chinese Through Song'' (2001)1994 is a Chinese singer known by the " honorific title" of Dajieda ("Big Sister"), "was one of China's most famous and senior female pop stars" by "the ...
for a
music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a music marketing devic ...
. The song was selected based from a solicitation campaign for Asian Games songs which received more than 1,600 entries. 36 of them were released as selected songs for the Games.


Venues

A total of 53 competition venues and 17 training venues were used for the Games, with four venues located outside of Guangzhou. Events took place at 42 pre-existing venues; eleven competition venues and one training venue were constructed for the Games, while the rest were renovated. Other venues included the Asian Games Town, which consists of the Games Village with the Athletes, Officials and Media Buildings, the Main Media Center and International Broadcast Center. Organizers revealed that the total investment was over ¥15 billion. On April 19, 2009, organizers announced that they had chosen, in an unprecedented move that Haixinsha Island, along with the Pearl River, were to be the venues for the opening and closing ceremonies, this was the first time on the games history that the ceremonies are held outside from the games main venues. The villages at the Asian Games Town was built on a 329,024 square meters land space which had 3,598 apartments in 49 buildings.


Transport

Guangzhou's public transportation infrastructure was expanded significantly as a part of the preparation for the Games.
Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport is the major airport of Guangzhou, Guangdong province, in Southern China. Both airport codes were inherited from the former Baiyun Airport, and the IATA code is derived from Guangzhou's historical romani ...
had been upgraded, in contracted to Crisplant (former FKI Logistex), to support massive volume of passengers. A new
Wuhan–Guangzhou High-Speed Railway The Wuhan–Guangzhou high-speed railway, also called the Wuguang high-speed railway and short for Beijing–Guangzhou–Shenzhen–Hong Kong high-speed railway, Wuhan–Guangzhou section, is a high-speed rail line, operated by China Railway H ...
was opened on December 26, 2009, shorten the travel time between two destinations. In order to ease the traffic congestion and air pollution, the government ordered 40 percent reduction of vehicles and offered 1,000 buses during the Games and Para Games. The government also had a free-ride offer for public transportation during the month of Games, but cancelled one week prior to the Games due to overwhelming response from the citizens. Instead, government offered ¥150 () cash subsidies to each household with permanent residence for commuting purposes.


The Games


Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony was held on November 12, 2010. For the first time in Asian Games history, the ceremony was not held in a traditional stadium setting. Instead, it was held at Haixinsha Island, using the
Pearl River The Pearl River, also known by its Chinese name Zhujiang or Zhu Jiang in Mandarin pinyin or Chu Kiang and formerly often known as the , is an extensive river system in southern China. The name "Pearl River" is also often used as a catch-a ...
and
Canton Tower The Canton Tower (), formally Guangzhou TV Astronomical and Sightseeing Tower (), is a -tall multipurpose observation tower in the Haizhu District of Guangzhou ( alternatively romanized as ''Canton''). The tower was topped out in 2009 and it ...
as focal points. The ceremony was directed by Chen Weiya, assistant director of the
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
in Beijing, and featured a cast of about 6,000 performers. It was attended by the
Chinese Premier The premier of the State Council of the People's Republic of China, commonly called the premier of China and sometimes also referred to as the prime minister, is the head of government of China and leader of the State Council. The premier is ...
, Wen Jiabao,
President of Pakistan The president of Pakistan ( ur, , translit=s̤adr-i Pākiṣṭān), officially the President of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is the ceremonial head of state of Pakistan and the commander-in-chief of the Pakistan Armed Forces.Asif Ali Zardari Asif Ali Zardari ( ur, ; sd, ; born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party. He served as the 11th president of Pakist ...
,
Prime Minister of Thailand The prime minister of Thailand ( th, นายกรัฐมนตรี, , ; literally 'chief minister of state') is the head of government of Thailand. The prime minister is also the chair of the Cabinet of Thailand. The post has existed s ...
Abhisit Vejjajiva,
Chief Secretary for Administration The Chief Secretary for Administration, commonly known as the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong, is the most senior principal official of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. The Chief Secretary is head of the Governme ...
of
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a List of cities in China, city and Special administrative regions of China, special ...
Henry Tang Henry Tang Ying-yen (; born 6 September 1952) is a Hong Kong politician who served as the Chief Secretary of Hong Kong between 2007 and 2011. He held the position of Financial Secretary from 2003 to 2007. In 2012, he lost the Hong Kong Chief ...
, as well as OCA president Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah, and
Jacques Rogge Jacques Jean Marie Rogge, Count Rogge (, ; 2 May 1942 – 29 August 2021) was a Belgian sports administrator and physician who served as the eighth President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) from 2001 to 2013. In 2013, Rogge bec ...
, president of the
International Olympic Committee The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swis ...
. The ceremony lasted for three hours, and together with the closing ceremony costed about ¥380 million ( million). Athletes were paraded by boats along the Pearl River. The ceremony featured the water-themed arts show and culture of Guangzhou. The last torchbearer, diver
He Chong He Chong (; born June 10, 1987 in Zhanjiang, Guangdong) is a Chinese diver. He is the 2008 Olympic Champion in the 3m springboard. He split with partner Wang Feng after they won a gold medal in the 3m synchronised springboard event at the 20 ...
lit up the
cauldron A cauldron (or caldron) is a large pot ( kettle) for cooking or boiling over an open fire, with a lid and frequently with an arc-shaped hanger and/or integral handles or feet. There is a rich history of cauldron lore in religion, mythology, and ...
, after igniting traditional Chinese firecrackers, whose flare shot up to the top of the tower where the cauldron was held. The ceremony received positive reviews; Rogge was quoted as considering the ceremony to be "absolutely fantastic", and felt that it demonstrated the city's "ability to host the Olympics". OCA director general Husain Al-Musallam also praised the ceremony, arguing that it was unique and "just better than the Beijing Summer Olympics pening ceremony.


Sports

476 events were held in 42 sports (57 disciplines), including the 26 sports was to be played at the
2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, th ...
, and 16 additional non-Olympic sports. This marked an increase from the 424 events in 39 sports held in 2006. The OCA approved
Cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by st ...
(
Twenty20 Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single inn ...
) for inclusion in the main program, while events were also held in
dancesport Dancesport is competitive ballroom dancing, as contrasted to social or exhibition dancing. In the case of Para dancesport, at least one of the dancers is in a wheelchair. Dancesport events are sanctioned and regulated by dancesport organizatio ...
(competitive ballroom dancing),
dragon boat A dragon boat is a human-powered watercraft originating from the Pearl River Delta region of China's southern Guangdong Province. These were made of teak, but in other parts of China, different kinds of wood are used. It is one of a family of ...
,
weiqi Go is an abstract strategy board game for two players in which the aim is to surround more territory than the opponent. The game was invented in China more than 2,500 years ago and is believed to be the oldest board game continuously played to ...
and
roller sport Roller sports are sports that use human powered vehicles which use rolling either by gravity or various pushing techniques. Typically ball bearings and polyurethane wheels are used for momentum and traction respectively, and attached to devices or ...
were also held in Guangzhou.
Bodybuilding Bodybuilding is the use of progressive resistance exercise to control and develop one's muscles (muscle building) by muscle hypertrophy for aesthetic purposes. It is distinct from similar activities such as powerlifting because it focuses ...
was dropped following criticism over the quality of judging in the competition at the 2006 Games.


Participating National Olympic Committees

All 45 members of the Olympic Council of Asia that existed as of 2010 participated in the 2010 Asian Games. All
National Olympic Committee A National Olympic Committee (NOC) is a national constituent of the worldwide Olympic movement. Subject to the controls of the International Olympic Committee, NOCs are responsible for organizing their people's participation in the Olympic Games ...
s were ordered to submit their entries before September 30, 2010. Organizers allowed each NOC to submit additional entries and injury replacements after the deadline. After the final registration deadline, some 9,704 athletes, as well as some 4,750 team officials, took part in the Games, an increase of 184 athletes from the previous Asian Games in
Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor (city), Al Khor, it is home to m ...
. According to the Games' official website, Kuwaiti athletes participated the Games under the Olympic flag because the
Kuwait Olympic Committee Kuwait Olympic Committee ( ar, اللجنة الأولمبية الكويتية, IOC code: KUW) is the National Olympic Committee representing Kuwait and organising the Kuwait Olympic team. 2010–2012 suspension The International Olympic Comm ...
was suspended due to political interference in January 2010. Below is a list of all the participating NOCs; the number of competitors per delegation is indicated in brackets.


Calendar

In the following calendar for the 2010 Asian Games, each blue box represents an event competition, such as a qualification round, on that day. The yellow boxes represent days during which medal-awarding finals for a sport were held. Each bullet in these boxes is an event final, the number of bullets per box representing the number of finals that were contested on that day. On the left the calendar lists each sport with events held during the Games, and at the right how many gold medals were won in that sport. There is a key at the top of the calendar to aid the reader. :''All times are in
China Standard Time The time in China follows a single standard time offset of UTC+08:00 (eight hours ahead of Coordinated Universal Time), even though the country spans almost five geographical time zones. The official national standard time is called ''Beijing ...
(
UTC+8 UTC+08:00 is an identifier for a time offset from UTC of +08:00. With an estimated population of 1.708 billion living within the time zone, roughly 24% of the world population, it is the most populous time zone in the world, as well as a ...
)''


Closing ceremony

The closing ceremony began on November 27, 2010, at 20:06 local time in front of 35,000 spectators. The show had the theme "Leave Your Song Here", which had cultural displays from China, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Japan, Kazakhstan and Mongolia. The ceremony featured songs from different cultures as chosen: the Indians "Saajan ji Ghar Aaye" and "Aao re Jhumo re", Indonesian "Sing Sing So" and Japanese "Sakura". Various artists from Taiwan, Hong Kong and mainland China performed "Triumphant Return", among them were
Alan Tam Alan Tam Wing-lun MH (; born 23 August 1950) is a Hong Kong singer and actor. He played a major role in developing the Cantopop scene in the 1980s as he was known for singing romantic ballads with modern arrangements. From 1983 to 1987, Alan Tam ...
, Leo Ku and
Hacken Lee Lee Hak Kan (; born 6 December 1967), better known as Hacken Lee, is a Hong Kong singer, television host and actor, active from the 1980s until today. In 2013, Lee's song "House of Cards" swept multiple awards in many Hong Kong award ceremonies, in ...
. After awarding host badminton player Lin Dan,with the most valuable player award, President of the Olympic Council of Asia Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah officially announced the Games closed. As per tradition, the
People's Liberation Army The People's Liberation Army (PLA) is the principal military force of the China, People's Republic of China and the armed wing of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The PLA consists of five Military branch, service branches: the People's ...
personnel has lowered the OCA flag, and carried out of the ceremony venue. Later, the South Korean flag is raised to the South Korean national anthem. The Mayor of Incheon
Song Young-gil Song Young Gil (; born 21 March 1963) is a South Korean politician who served as the Leader of the centre- liberal Democratic Party from 2 May 2021 until 10 March 2022. He was Member of the National Assembly, as well as the Chairman of the Fore ...
received the Games flag for as the city is scheduled to host the 2014 Games. The ceremony then proceeded with an eight-minute segment from
Incheon Incheon (; ; or Inch'ŏn; literally "kind river"), formerly Jemulpo or Chemulp'o (제물포) until the period after 1910, officially the Incheon Metropolitan City (인천광역시, 仁川廣域市), is a city located in northwestern South Kore ...
called "Arirang Party" led by traditional percussionist Choi So-ri in Korean traditional costumes, taekwondo exponents and famous Korean singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer and actor
Rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
led the segment. Rain sang a
medley Medley or Medleys may refer to: Sports *Medley swimming, races requiring multiple swimming styles * Medley relay races at track meets Music * Medley (music), multiple pieces strung together People * Medley (surname), list of people with this n ...
of three of his hit-songs during the segment which were "Rainism", "Hip Song" and "Friends". The closing ceremony ended with the flame being extinguished and the theme songs "Everyone" and "Cheer for Asia" being performed.


Medal table

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...
led the medal table for the eighth consecutive time with a new record for the most number of gold medals (at 199 gold medals) won in a single Games. This bettered their previous record of 183 gold medals won by China at the 1990 games.
Macau Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a pop ...
, and
Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mo ...
won their first Asian Games gold medal from wushu and cricket, respectively. Some 35 NOCs (except Kuwait who competed under the
Olympic flag The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses icons, flags and symbols to elevate the Olympic Games. These symbols include those commonly used during Olympic competition—such as the flame, fanfare and theme—as well as those used througho ...
) won at least a single medal with 27 NOCs winning at least a single gold medal, thus leaving nine NOCs failing to win any medal at the Games. The top ten ranked NOCs at these Games are listed below. The host nation, China, is highlighted.


Broadcasting

Guangzhou Asian Games Broadcasting Co., Ltd (GAB) ( zh, c=广州亚运会转播有限公司, p=Guǎngzhōu yàyùn huì zhuǎnbò yǒuxiàn gōngsī), a broadcasting consortium, established on December 31, 2008, served as the host broadcaster of the games. The International Broadcast Centre was constructed within the Asian Games town.


Concerns and controversies


Sports

Cricket was among the five début sports in the Games. India, despite its historical record, decided not to send its cricket team to the Games. According to the
Board of Control for Cricket in India The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the worl ...
, the decision was due to other international commitments. However, its main rivals,
Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
and
Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, confirmed their participation. In
ten-pin bowling Ten-pin bowling is a type of bowling in which a bowler rolls a bowling ball down a wood or synthetic lane toward ten pins positioned evenly in four rows in an equilateral triangle. The objective is to knock down all ten pins on the first roll ...
, the Asian Bowling Federation decided to complete the Games behind closed doors, this resulted in protests from many delegates. On November 17,
Yang Shu-chun Yang Shu-chun or Judy Yang (; born October 26, 1985 in Yingge, Taipei County, now New Taipei City) is a female Taiwanese taekwondo athlete. She won the women's flyweight (under 51 kg) gold medal at the 2008 Asian Taekwond ...
of Chinese Taipei, was abruptly disqualified with 12 seconds left in the first round of the
taekwondo ''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...
competition, while leading her opponent 9–0. She was accused of having installed illegal sensors on the heel of her socks. The event quickly turned into an international incident, with officials, politicians and public opinion from Chinese Taipei, China and South Korea trading accusations of manipulation and fraud. About 1,400 random doping tests were carried out during the Games. Two athletes tested positive; judoka
Shokir Muminov Shokir Muminov (born February 17, 1983) is an Uzbek judoka. He won a bronze medal at the lightweight (73 kg) category of the 2006 Asian Games, defeating Aidar Kabimollayev of Kazakhstan at the bronze medal match. At the 2010 Asian Games ...
on November 19, 2010, and Greco-Roman wrestler Jakhongir Muminov on November 24, 2010, both from Uzbekistan, tested positive for
methylhexanamine Methylhexanamine (also known as methylhexamine, 1,3-dimethylamylamine, 1,3-DMAA, dimethylamylamine, and DMAA; trade names Forthane and Geranamine) is an indirect sympathomimetic drug invented and developed by Eli Lilly and Company and marketed a ...
. On January 24, 2011, the OCA announced another two doping failures, Qatari's Ahmed Dheeb who tested positive for exogenous
testosterone Testosterone is the primary sex hormone and anabolic steroid in males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of male reproductive tissues such as testes and prostate, as well as promoting secondary sexual characteristi ...
metabolite In biochemistry, a metabolite is an intermediate or end product of metabolism. The term is usually used for small molecules. Metabolites have various functions, including fuel, structure, signaling, stimulatory and inhibitory effects on enzymes, ...
s and Palestinian Awajna Abdalnasser who tested positive for 19-Norandrosterone.


Languages

In July 2010, the citizens of Guangzhou opposed the proposal suggested by the city committee of the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference The Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC, zh, 中国人民政治协商会议), also known as the People's PCC (, ) or simply the PCC (), is a political advisory body in the People's Republic of China and a central part of ...
(CPPCC) to use Mandarin more in television news programs, rather than Guangzhou's main language,
Cantonese Cantonese ( zh, t=廣東話, s=广东话, first=t, cy=Gwóngdūng wá) is a language within the Chinese (Sinitic) branch of the Sino-Tibetan languages originating from the city of Guangzhou (historically known as Canton) and its surrounding a ...
. The debates eventually led to a series of public protests. In late October 2010, in order to protest the government over the
language Language is a structured system of communication. The structure of a language is its grammar and the free components are its vocabulary. Languages are the primary means by which humans communicate, and may be conveyed through a variety of ...
policy in Tibetan area, the
Tibetan Youth Congress The Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC) is an international non-governmental organization that advocates the independence of Tibet from China. With around 30,000 members in the Tibetan diaspora, it is the largest of the pro-independence organizations o ...
(TYC) used the games as a channel to voice their concern.


Environment

Like the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, Guangzhou also attempted to raise the
air quality Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different types ...
of the city. The authority had pledged ¥600 million to fight the problem, and had ordered around 32 chemical plants to stop production by the end of 2009. A report shown on July 13, 2010, indicates that the air quality was rated at 95.07% in 2009, an increase of 12.01% since 2004; this improvement eventually cost authorities ¥24 billion. Subsequent action from organizers to curb pollution included decreasing the movement of vehicles up to 40 percent and banning barbecue stalls in 11 cities. Between 2005 and 2008 about 150 Guolang villagers survived by growing tomatoes, beans, and cabbages while fighting the government for fairer compensation after their homes were flattened for Asian games infrastructure. The
Panyu Panyu, alternately romanized as Punyu, is one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. It was a separate county-level city before its incorporation into modern Guangzhou in 200 ...
government set aside a date to listen to petitioners' complaint on October 18, 2010. Prior to the opening of the games,
Conghua Conghua District, alternately romanized as Tsungfa, is one of 11 urban districts and the northernmost district of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong Province, China. Conghua connects the Pearl River Delta with th ...
reported 429 cases of
Norovirus Norovirus, sometimes referred to as the winter vomiting disease, is the most common cause of gastroenteritis. Infection is characterized by non-bloody diarrhea, vomiting, and stomach pain. Fever or headaches may also occur. Symptoms usually devel ...
outbreak. The government officials stressed that the people recovered before November 12.


See also

*
2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...
*
2008 Summer Paralympics The 2008 Summer Paralympic Games (), the 13th Summer Paralympic Games, took place in Beijing, China from September 6 to 17, 2008. As with the 2008 Summer Olympics, equestrian events were held in Hong Kong and sailing events in Qingdao. It was f ...
*
2009 Winter Universiade The 2009 Winter Universiade, the XXIV Winter Universiade took place in Harbin, China. Student athletes from 44 countries took part in the games. Selection Harbin was selected by FISU on January 10, 2005 over future 2011 Winter Universiade host c ...
*
2011 Summer Universiade The 2011 Summer Universiade ( zh, c=2011年夏季世界大学生运动会, p=Èr líng yī yī Nián xiàjì shìjiè dàxuéshēng yùndònghuì), the XXVI Summer Universiade ( zh, c=第二十六届夏季世界大学生运动会, p=Dì Èrshí ...
*
List of IOC country codes The International Olympic Committee (IOC) uses three-letter abbreviation country codes to refer to each group of athletes that participate in the Olympic Games. Each geocode usually identifies a National Olympic Committee (NOC), but there are s ...


References


External links

*
Guangzhou 2010
at Olympic Council of Asia {{DEFAULTSORT:Asian Games (2010)
Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
Multi-sport events in China
Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
Asian Games The Asian Games, also known as Asiad, is a continental multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The Games were regulated by the Asian Games Federation (AGF) from the first Games in New Delhi, India, until t ...
2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
November 2010 sports events in China