Kathmandu, 22 September 

The Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony on Saturday will officially kick off the 19th edition of the continental multisport event in Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China.

The Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium, also known as the Big Lotus, will host the Asian Games opening ceremony. The state-of-the-art venue, primarily built as a football stadium in 2018, has a capacity of up to 80,000 spectators. The Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony will start at 5:30 PM in India and will be live streamed.

The opening ceremony at the Asian Games 2023 will pay an ode to China’s rich heritage while celebrating the country’s modern outlook with elements of artificial intelligence and eco-friendly technology.

Asian Games 2023 will be the first continental meet featuring a digital torch-lighting ceremony, wherein millions of torch-bearers will transform the digital flames into a digital human figure on the Qiantang River. With 3D animation and augmented reality, electronic smokeless fireworks will also be on show at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium.

Chinese President Xi Jinping is set to attend the 19th Asian Games opening ceremony. Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Hong Kong China’s leader John Lee Ka-chiu and the Republic of Korea’s Prime Minister Han Duck-soo and many other eminent foreign dignitaries will also be in attendance.

Hockey captain Harmanpreet Singh and world champion boxer Lovlina Borgohain will be India’s flag-bearers at the Hangzhou 2023 opening ceremony on Saturday.

Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist Neeraj Chopra was India’s flag-bearer at the 18th Asian Games at Jakarta in 2018. 

A total of 655 Indian athletes will be in action in 39 sports at the continental meet. It is India’s largest-ever contingent at the Asian Games.

What time does the Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony start

The Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony will start at 5:30 PM Indian Standard Time (IST).

Where to watch the Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony live in India

Live streaming of the Asian Games 2023 opening ceremony will be available on SonyLiv. It will be telecast live on the Sony Sports Ten 2 SD & HD, Sony Sports Ten 3 SD & HD (Hindi) TV channels in India.