The 2010 Asian Games and China’s Panda Display
The 16th Asian Games, also known as Asiad, are scheduled to be held in Guangzhou, China from the 12th to the 27th of November of this year. They are all set to be an extravagant affair featuring 476 events in 42 different
sports and they will be contested by a large number of athletes. Guangzhou will be hoping not to replicate the issues and scandals that rocked the recently held Commonwealth Games in Delhi earlier this month. It is all set to be one of the grandest Games in
the event’s history and the Chinese government has decided to use Panda cubs as a symbol of the Games. There will be 6 Panda cubs on display for visitors to the event, the reasons of which are unknown.
The Asian Games is a multi discipline large scale sporting tournament that is held every four years and contested by numerous countries in Asia. This massive sporting event is the second biggest athletic tournament after the Olympic Games. Before the setting
up of the Asian Games, they were known as the Far Eastern Games in 1912 and were contested between Japan, China and Philippines. The first of these Games were held in 1913 without any break for the next ten years until 1934. The Games were then cancelled following
the second Sino-Japanese War in 1934 and soon after the Far Eastern Games were permanently cancelled.
Another sort of Games, similar in nature, were held in 1934, called the West Asian Games and were contested between India, Ceylon, Afghanistan and what would become Pakistan. The next instalment of the Games was cancelled due to World War II. After World
War II and the independence of numerous Asian countries, a conversation was started between different countries to revive the forgotten Games format into something new. A new name was given to an all Asian tournament and it was called the Asian Games. The
first contest was scheduled to be held in Delhi in 1950 but due to preparation problems it was postponed until 1951. They have been contested by countries on the Asian continent ever since then.
The 16th version of the Games is to be held in the Chinese city of Guangzhou during November. It is set to be a very grand affair and will feature athletes from 45 nations. It is to be the largest event in the Games history and will showcase a
modern and vibrant China to the world. The city put in the sole bid after the withdrawal of the bids from Amman, Kuala Lumpur and Seoul. Guangzhou will not be the only host city in China as the Games will be co-hosted by three of its neighbouring cities; Dongguan,
Foshan and Shanwei.
The Games, because of their size could end up with a budget of around ¥200 billion. This number though, is only an estimate as the official amounts of the true costs have not been revealed yet. There have been certain concerns from athletes just as there
were for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. One of the biggest fears is over the quality of the air and the levels of pollution in the city. There have also been internal problems over the use of the Mandarin language or the use of the common language of the
city which is Cantonese. Also for the first time cricket is being featured as an event in the Games but India has decided not to send its cricket team. All these seem to be minor problems in the light of the huge ones faced by Delhi earlier this month.
In a strange set of affairs, the Chinese Government has decided to send six Panda cubs to the Panyu Endangered Animal World in Guangzhou. The reasons behind sending the cute creatures are not known, other than the fact that they would make a good exhibit
for visiting tourists. Is it really necessary to subject baby Pandas, which is one of the most endangered species on the planet, to a trip of this sort, just so they can be seen by some tourists. Pandas are notoriously difficult to breed but efforts to get
them to mate and produce offspring have been successful in China. What these creatures have to do with a grand sporting event is not known but if the people of China like them and the visitors will enjoy them than so be it.
These Games look all set to be a spectacular display of Asian athletic talent and will be eagerly awaited by sports fans all over the world. Some fans will be travelling to the city of Guangzhou as spectators and if they are there they should check out the
Panda cubs on display.
Tags: