Pakistan Olympic Association said on Tuesday that the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) had announced the new dates of the 19th Asian Games, which will now be held in Hangzhou from 23rd September to 8th October 2023.
The 19th Asian Games was originally planned to be held in Hangzhou from 10th to 25th of September 2022, however due to the COVID 19 global pandemic the Games were postponed by the OCA Executive Board (EB) on 6th of May 2022 and a “Task Force” was created by the EB to finalise the new dates for the Games, said Muhammad Khalid Mahmood, Secretary POA while referring to the OCA letter received by the POA
He said “ the Task Force over the last two months held various discussions with the Chinese Olympic Committee, Hangzhou Asian Games Or-ganising Committee (HAGOC) and other stake-holders to find a window for the Games which did not conflict with other major international sporting events. The recommended dates by the Task Force were duly approved by the OCA EB.
“The OCA thanks HAGOC, the Chinese Olym-pic Committee, as well as the Governments at all levels for their hard work in preparing for the Games during the pandemic and ensuring they can take place next year. The OCA would also like to express its appreciation for the patience shown by the National Olympic Committees and International Federation/Asian Federations and other stakeholders.
“ The OCA looks forward to celebrating the best Asian Games ever in Hangzhou in September 2023”.—APP
