Greetings!

With the Asian Games Fun Run, here in Sri Lanka about to start, on behalf of the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC), I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to the OCA, the Sri Lanka Olympic Committee and all our friends in the community who have been following and supporting our preparations for the Hangzhou Asian Games. I would also like to extend a warm welcome to all those taking part in the Fun Run itself!

I would now like to present an update on the progress of our preparations for the Hangzhou Asian Games. The Games will take place from 23 September to 8 October 2023 and, to date, all of the preparations are well on track to be completed. Their status is as follows:

First, construction of the venues has been completed, and done to a high standard.

Inspections of the 56 competition venues and 31 training venues have been carried out. The Asian Games Village and the five (5) Sub-villages are essentially ready to begin operations.    

Second, preparations for the competition events have essentially been completed.

The 40 sports, 61 disciplines and 484 events that will be held at the Games have been finalised. The Competition Schedule (Version 2.0) and Sports Technical Handbooks (Version 2.0) have been published. More than 1,300 international technical officials have been appointed. All 56 competition venues have been accepted by the corresponding Technical Delegates. 22 test events have been successfully held.

Third, the majority of staff required for the Games have been appointed.

41 competition venue teams, 30 non-competition venue teams and 21 teams, that will be on duty at standalone training venues, have been assembled. Our volunteer recruitment programme received the full support of the general public and college students. 38,000 volunteers in total will be recruited for the Games.           Fourth, Games services have now been essentially setup and are ready to begin operations.

A draft of the athletes’ menu has been prepared. Six (6) OCA Family Hotels and 78 official hotels have been selected and designated. A logistics centre with an area of 25,000m2 has begun operations. Preparations for medical services have been completed. We will ensure transport during the Games will be easy to use and convenient.

Fifth, activities in the lead-up to the Games continue to be held.

Promotional activities including the one-year countdown have been successfully held. A number of songs written for the Games have been released. The development and production of movies, TV series, documentary, promotional video and other projects about the Asian Games continues to gain pace. The core visual assets for the Games, including the official emblem, mascots, sports pictograms and torch, have already been released. The “Asian Games 10 Cities Tour with Geely” has travelled through Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and other cities around China.

It gives us great pleasure to say that the Fun Run, the Asian Games Young Reporter programme, the Asian Games Children’s Art Competition, as well as other events, are being, or have been, held in partnership with the OCA. Excitement for the upcoming Asian Games continues to build in China and Asia as a whole.

The Fun Run is not only an Asian Games tradition, but also a key event for the Hangzhou Asian Games and a way for international audiences to get involved. The event will encourage better relations between people from different countries and regions in Asia, and help carry on the Olympic spirit. Since the launch of the Fun Run campaign in October 2022, the event has been held in 6 cities, and enjoyed a high level of participation. The Asian Games Fun Run being held here in Sri Lanka symbolises the good relations between our two great cities, and will help spread joy and hope across Asia, enhance friendship among people in countries and regions around Asia, and increase public interest in the Hangzhou Asian Games.

The Fun Run spreads happiness and helps build anticipation for the Games. It embodies unity and hope. In closing, I would like to wish Sri Lanka’s Asian Games Fun Run every success!