Athletes and delegation leaders from various participating countries have highly commented on the organization of the 9th Asian Winter Games, and expressed eager anticipation for the opening ceremony, set to officially kick off in the host city of Harbin in northeast China's Heilongjiang Province on Friday evening.
The week-long event, themed "Dream of Winter, Love among Asia," has gathered 1,275 competitors from 34 countries and regions, making this the largest ever edition of the Games in terms of overall participation.
Cambodia and Saudi Arabia will also make their Asian Winter Games debut in the city.
Ahead of the Games, many athletes voiced excitement about competition in the upcoming competitions.
"I really enjoy being here, it's a really nice organization here. Everything is really prepared for us and of course I'm hoping for the best. I'm hoping to win in the games. I think there's all the time, but like there is an opportunity to enjoy all the games where I'm going [to participate] because I am going for a lot of races. And yes of course I mean it's my first time being here in China and it's a really beautiful country and I think there's a lot to see, of course," said Alexandra Skorokhodova, a Kazakh athlete.
"They (my family members) were so surprised at first and they were so happy that we are having this sport, and [they asked me:] 'Really, are you going to the Asian games for this curling sport?' Yes. And they really support me, and they are really happy for me to be here to do this," said Pongsak Mahattanasakul, a Thai curling athlete.
The delegation leaders of Iran and Saudi Arabia also expressed their anticipation for the opening ceremony.
"Chinese people are very, very expert in organization, for races, for Asian Games. They can do best performance in the Asian Games. For the opening ceremony, I think we can show Asian culture to people abroad. I think we are going to have a very good [opening] ceremony and I like China. I like people in China and they [are] the best because they are very professional people," said Bagher Kalhor, head of Iran's delegation.
"When it comes to sports, sports weigh more than just a game. Sports bring people together, of course, the athletes and all NOCs (National Olympic Committees) get together. We're going to be super surprised to see the setup and the way how they going to march, carry the flame. And (I am) super excited to see all the setups and all the agenda we're going to see," said Hamad Alhawesh, head of Saudi Arabia's delegation.
International athletes speak highly of organization of upcoming Asian Winter Games
International athletes speak highly of organization of upcoming Asian Winter Games
