Hangzhou: “So, will it be over 100 medals this time, as they claim on TV?” asked a genial middle-aged gent at the Delhi airport. The seemingly innocu- ous query is a tricky one to answer for those who are Hangzhou bound – after all, winning medals at international meets is a slightly differ- ent proposition from coining marketing catchphrases. Either way, when Indian athletes, led by men’s hockey team captain Harmanpreet Singh and world boxing champion Lovlina Bor- gohain, march out at the 19th Asian Games opening ceremony on Saturday, hopes of a best-ever performance will soar. And while the 100-medal question may be answered only by October 8, the rising expectations from the contingent are also an indicator of the growing profile of sport.
The expectations though are not entirely misplaced. With 70 medals in the 2018 Asian Games, India have already set the marker high. A successful Olympics and a rich haul at last year’s Common- wealth Games have further fuelled hopes of a rich haul in this eastern Chinese city.
The city is all decked up for what locals believe is a statement of moving on from Covid. The masks are gone, the pandemic is forgotten, and social distancing has become a relic of the troubled past. The bustling evenings are awash in dazzling lights, with Games branding adorning the major buildings and squares.
This Asian Games will be the last of the major sports events that got postponed due to the pandemic, and Saturday’s opening ceremony will, in many ways, be a sign of a world having overcome the devastating health emergency. The tickets for the opener were sold out within days, leaving many disheartened.
“I really wanted to watch the Indian contingent march, par- ticularly Sunil Chhetri. The tickets were gone in a flash. The Chinese love their sport, which means every discipline, irrespective of China’s participation in it, will be sold out,” said Sahil Meshram, an Indian medical student based in the city for the last five years.
An important centre of the old silk route, Hangzhou has smoothly slipped into the realm of modern science, with tech giant Alibaba having led the digital and Artificial Intelli- gence (AI) revolution here. That means that the Games theme of “smart” is being real- ised in its full glory with Al-powered interactive robots holding the onlookers in their thrall, driverless buses generat- ing a discernable buzz, and unmanned ice cream vending machines becoming a topic of discussion.
In the middle of these high- tech distractions, athletes have their own mechanisms of deal- ing with pressure. For youngsters such as Charanjot Singh, sport itself serves as the best antidote to pressure. A little wide-eyed and bemused by the expanse and scale of the spec- tacle, the 20-year-old spent three hours on Friday practis- ing at the Hangzhou Esports Centre.
“I don’t feel any pressure. My sport is the biggest stress buster for me. A bit of nerves is healthy too, it keeps me on my toes,” he said.
Shooting world champion Rudrankksh Patil is not over-whelmed. Patil was into his first year in the senior camp when the likes of Saurabh Chaudhary, then 16, broke on to the scene with an Asiad gold. “Pressure, to be honest, is a privilege. I feel honoured to represent India. This is the kind of stage we live for,” he said.
The shooting, boxing, e-sports, and hockey teams had closed-door practice sessions on Friday. The official flag-hoisting cer- emony remained out of bounds for the media, as did the access to the athletes village and the 80,000-seater Hangzhou Olym- pic Sports Center Stadium that will host the opening cere- mony.
India have fielded a 655- member contingent at the Games, their largest ever. The group has six Olympic medal- lists in PV Sindhu, Bajrang Punia, Neeraj Chopra, Mirabai Chanu, Lovlina Borgohain, and the men’s hockey team which means there is no dearth of world-beating quality in the group.
Rowing, sailing, boxing, men’s football, and women’s cricket teams were the first to arrive in Hangzhou with the football and cricket contin- gents putting up in a hotel out- side the village for logistical reasons. The boxing team checked in the village on Thursday after a 17-day train- ing camp in Wuyishan.
“The lull in the athletes vil- lage was broken by the spate of arrivals. The athletes are in great mindspace and are look- ing forward to performing. The rowing and volleyball results were met with loud cheers in the dining hall, particularly the men’s volleyball team’s win over the Chinese Taipei. The teams, while focussing on their disciplines, are also keeping tabs on the overall perform- ance of the contingent,” an IOA official said.
“The dining hall is a non- vegetarians’ paradise,” another official joked. “For the vegetari- ans, the Chinese have their ver- sion of rotis and lentils. The athletes are put up in furnished apartments and they are very happy with the facilities.”
The opening ceremony, set to be attended by 200 Indian athletes, promises to flex Hangzhou’s tech muscle. With innovations such as 3D anima- tions, virtual torchbearer and virtual fireworks in play, the experience promises to be immersive and eco-friendly. As a contingency plan, the orga- nisers have also prepared an abridged version of the cere- mony to be held at a nearby indoor venue in case of inclem- ent weather. With over 12,000 athletes from 45 nations dis- playing their wares in 40 sports, this promises to be the largest Asiad in history.
