Photo: Cui Fandi/GT
Raja Randhir Singh, Acting President of the Olympic Committee of Asia, told the Global Times during a news conference on Sunday that he is extremely impressed by the Hangzhou Asian Games, especially with the opening ceremony, the coordination between the OCA and the organizers, and in a clever gadget - contactless ID cards.
When talking about Saturday night's opening ceremony, Acting President Singh used the words "absolutely phenomenal."
Singh said that he would like to congratulate the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC) and the Chinese government on the spectacular ceremony.
He expressed a special thanks to Chinese President Xi Jinping on his support during the ceremony.
"It is the finest and most beautiful ceremony I have ever seen," said the OCA Acting President. "I look forward to the great Games following it."
Singh spoke highly of the coordination between the OCA and the Chinese organizers, while answering a question from the Global Times during Sunday's news conference.
"As I have mentioned many times, we have a very good coordination with the organizers, so there is no problem," he said.
Singh said the teamwork has been prominent all the time. "We have a working group and a coordination committee. We are in touch all the time."
"From my side, we have never had a problem," he noted. "And the HAGOC has been in support for all the national committees and the members of the OCA who are looking for any kind of support."
Speaking of what impressed him the most in Hangzhou, the OCA Acting President, who is also the first Indian shooter to win a gold medal in the Asian Games in 1978, surprisingly mentioned a clever gadget.
"What I would like to mention particularly is something that is very new this time," he said. "Normally, you would have to walk around with your participant card and scan and wait for it. But not in Hangzhou."
With Hangzhou's contactless participant ID card, all participants can just walk through any entrance with it hanging around the neck, he said.
"When you walk in the hotel, you just walk in. It saved so much time, especially for the athletes," said Singh. "When they are competing and need to go to another venue, they can just walk in and walk out, and the card is instantly recorded. It is such a brilliant manner that you don't have to waste time. It saves the lines that are useless."
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