All set for 9th Asian Winter Games

All preparations for the opening ceremony of the 9th Asian Winter Games are fully ready, said the organizing committee on Thursday.

The Games will be held from Feb 7 to 14.

"After more than 10 full-process rehearsals and three full-element drills, the music, videos, special effects, program arrangements, and overall coordination of the ceremony have been optimized," Bai Zhiguo, a deputy secretary-general of the organizing committee and the chief spokesperson, said at a news conference in Harbin, Heilongjiang province, on Thursday. "We have arranged 50 etiquette personnel and over 600 volunteers inside the venue to provide services to audience members in need."

For transportation services, around 300 support vehicles will be provided to offer collective transportation services from hotels to the opening ceremony venue for various participants, and high-speed rail special trains will be provided for those attending the opening ceremony from Yabuli, the ski resort cluster hosting the snow sports at the Games.

"A professional medical team has been established, with 2 medical rooms, 4 medical stations, and 8 audience medical points set up to cover the entire venue, equipped with emergency-related ambulances, stretchers, medicines, and equipment," said Bai. "A green channel for medical treatment has been opened at designated hospitals."

According to Zhou Wei, deputy director of the committee's ceremonies and events department, the total planned duration of the opening ceremony is about 80 minutes.

"As this year's Games will see the largest representation of Asian countries and regions in history, there will be representatives from 34 countries and regions across Asia parade during the opening ceremony to showcase their elegance to the world," said Zhou. "In a creative approach, the opening ceremony combines the main venue with a secondary venue - the main venue is set at the Harbin International Convention and Exhibition Sports Center, while the secondary venue is located at the renowned Harbin Ice and Snow World, the largest ice and snow theme park in the world."

"This winter, the Harbin Ice and Snow World has specially designed a themed ice and snow park featuring representative buildings from Asian countries and regions, which will be synchronized with the performances at the main venue to evoke empathy and resonance among the people of Asia."

"Particularly, the highly creative and distinctive torch lighting ceremony is expected to astonish the world," he said.

Furthermore, the cultural performances at the opening ceremony make full use of advanced technological means to create a visually stunning experience, such as virtual and augmented reality, glasses-free 3D technology, digital AI, and other visual effects.

Along with equipment such as facade screens, digital ground screens, and light art projection screens, the ceremony must create an immersive panoramic space, Zhou added.