Hangzhou hosted a series of celebrations for the one-year countdown to the 4th Asian Para Games on October 9th at Yanglingzi School, a special education school in Hangzhou.

During the celebrations, Majid Rashed, president of the Asian Paralympic Committee, sent a video message with his greetings to the 4th Asian Para Games. Invitations from Hangzhou were also sent to all the honorable guests from different countries and regions.

The countdown is on

The Asian Para Games is held every four years for athletes with physical disabilities after the Asian Games. Both events had adopted the strategy used by the Olympic and Paralympic Games of having both games in the same city.

The predecessor of the Asian Para Games is the FESPIC Games (Far East and South Pacific Games for the Disabled), which was contested by athletes from the Asia Pacific region. It was first held in 1975 and had been held nine times. The games were last contested in Dec. 2006.

The Asian Para Games superseded the FESPIC Games, dissolved alongside the FESPIC Federation, the games' governing body. They merged with the Asian Paralympic Council, which was renamed the Asian Paralympic Committee at the closing of the final FESPIC in 2006. The first Asian multi-sports event for athletes with disabilities, the inaugural Asian Para Games, was held in 2010 in Guangzhou, China.

Themed with "Hearts Meet, Dreams Shine (Chinese: 心相约，梦闪耀)", the 4th Asian Para Games will be held from October 9th to 15th, 2022 in Hangzhou with around 3,800 athletes from 44 Asian countries and regions to participate in 22 sports. A total of 19 venues will be used during the Games, among which 17 are the ones hosting the 19th Asian Games. The other two venues, built only for the Asian Para Games, are expected to be completed by the end of this year.

The mascot of the 2022 Asian Para Games, named "Feifei", was inspired by the "Divine Bird", representing Hangzhou's heritage and its drive for technological innovation. According to a legend in Liangzhu Culture, the 'Divine Bird' brings bliss.

Hangzhou has speeded up the construction of the supporting infrastructures in the city. New measures for the construction and management of accessible environments were complemented from October 1st to improve the accessibility in public transportation, parking lots, and other areas to make the city more disabled friendly before the 4th Asian Para Games. Hangzhou also started the construction of a digital service platform for the people with disabilities.

Torch design unveiled

More significant information of the 4th Asian Para Games was unveiled on October 9th.

"Laurels", the torch design of the Games was released during the celebration. It is inspired by the ancient jade Cong unearthed in Liangzhu, which is a relic to the 5,000-year-old Chinese civilization, and the flower of the city, sweet osmanthus, which symbolizes the Games concept of "Sunny, Harmonious, Persevering, and Sharing".

The design also echoes that of "Eternal Flame", the torch of the Hangzhou Asian Games. Using jade Cong as the connecting theme, the torch is visualized as a link, with Laurels and wave patterns and stars above that rise into the torch head. Moving downward, the patterns and color, symbolizing the light of wisdom, merge at the torch base.

The torch has been put to multiple tests and refinements to ensure its normal functions in extreme situations, including bad weather, shaking, dropping, and gas recharging. The design team also studied the ergonomics of holding a torch and created a special torch stand for wheelchair athletes.

"Lush Mountain" released

Released on October 9th, the official uniform for the medal bearers and flag raisers in the Asian Para Games Hangzhou 2022, are essential visual figures of the event. Themed "Lush Mountain", the design is inspired by the lucid water and lush mountains of the host city and also echoes that of Clouds in Twilight, the official uniform for the medal bearers and flag raisers in the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022. The clothes were designed by Wu Haiyan, professor of China Academy of Art, and her team.

The creative team of the opening ceremony of the 4th Asian Para Games was officially introduced to the public on the same day. Sha Xiaolan (沙晓岚), the chief producer of the 19th Asian Games, will be the ceremony's director. He shared the idea that the ceremony, which is based on the city's traditional culture and modern tech, will convey humanistic care to the people with disabilities.