An initiating ceremony for venue construction for the 2022 Asian Games is held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province on Oct 15. [Photo/Hangzhou.com.cn]

Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province and the host city of the 2022 Asian Games, announced start of the construction of the first of 33 sports venues at an initiating ceremony on Oct 15, marking a new phase in the preparatory work.

Assignments related to construction of the venues and facilities in Hangzhou have been made quite clear in the contracts with the host city. Five will be newly built, 19 will be extended or improved from existing venues and seven are designed to be temporary. The construction of these venues is expected to be completed before March of 2021.

The city government assigned tasks to 11 districts, counties and government agencies at the ceremony and expressed requirements for the construction. All contractors must apply first-class standards to lay a solid foundation for the great event.

The design and construction of the sports venues should accord with the hosting conceptions of the Hangzhou Asian Games: green, smart, economical and civilized.

All buildings should be low-carbon, energy-saving, environmentally friendly and sustainable. Smart technologies like cloud computing and big data are encouraged to improve intelligent interfaces and automation. The organizing committee, like the city government, pursues the combination of sticking to high standards and keeping the organization economical. The facilities, to be decorated with Chinese cultural characteristics, are also to be seen as platforms for overseas delegations to savor the charms of Hangzhou civilization.

The Zhejiang provincial capital was selected as host of the 2022 Asian Games in 2015. The games, a quadrennial continental event, are expected to boost the internationalization of Hangzhou and benefit the development of its sports industry while inspiring mass sports participation in the region.