On the afternoon of August 9, a press conference addressing the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games was held in Beijing. (Guangzhou Daily)

    

After the Beijing Olympic Games, the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games will become the next sports extravaganza to attract worldwide attention. The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) held a press conference in Beijing on August 9 to promote and discuss the Guangzhou Asian Games. The general secretary said at the conference that Guangzhou is planning the ¡¡ãbest Asian Games ever¡¡À.

An official from the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (GAGOC) opined that the Guangzhou Asian Games will take lessons from the Beijing Olympics while also presenting the culture of South China.

Asian Games Town to be similar to Olympic Park

The undertaking of the Guangzhou Asian Games will focus more on cultural intercommunication among different Asian cities and regions.

The conception of the Guangzhou Asian Games Town is similar to the Beijing Olympic Park. Besides the Athlete Village, there will be a Media Village, a Technical Officers Village and a Media Center. The Asian Games Park will be located nearby.

Construction of main stadium to begin this September

The Guangzhou Asian Games Venues are now under construction. The Asian Games Town was started last November, while the Athlete Village, the Media Village, the Technical Officers Village and all related logistics zones have been under construction since last month. The construction of the main stadium and the Integrated Media Center will launch this September.

New events: dance and football

The culture of South China, especially Guangzhou, is a special part of Chinese culture. And in this Asian Games, Guangzhou will have its chance to shine.

The Asian Games have always been good for their host cities. One has only to look at Beijing, Doha or Bangkok. Guangzhou will become an international ¡¡ãhigh standard¡¡À city after 2010, said the general secretary.

He also said that dance and football will become formal events at this Asian Games. These two are not Olympic sport items and it is expected that the media will pay more attention to them. In addition, the Guangzhou Asian Games will introduce dragon boat racing to other Asian countries.

Marketing: 600 million Yuan of support offered already

The general secretary said that marketing is not easy, but every effort will be made to attract more support. The current financial support is a little different from prior Asian Games. For example, the slogans and advertisements of supporting enterprises will be allowed in the stadiums of the Guangzhou Asian Games.