China, which is known for its unconventional torch lighting at international competitions, will light the flame in a unique way at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games.

China lit the flame at the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, on Wednesday, marking the first time an Olympic or Asian Games has ever combined the virtual and real worlds.

The flame, which entered the stadium at the end of the opening ceremony, was passed to women’s swimmer Yes Won, who won two gold medals at the 2012 London Olympics, and then to Pan Zhen Dong, the world’s No. 1 men’s table tennis player.

At this point, the organizing committee used a 3D video to show small flames rising into the sky from all over the city of Hangzhou.

These flames then came together to form a giant digital torchbearer in the shape of a man.

Separately, the torch was passed from Pan Zhendong to Beijing 2022 freestyle skiing women’s aerial winner Xu Mengtao, double Olympic weightlifter Su Zhiyun, badminton star and International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Li Lingwei, and Tokyo 2020 swimming gold medalist Wang Shun, while the digital torchbearer was videoed crossing the Qiantan River near the stadium and entering the venue.

A 3D display in the stadium showed the number of people who have recently participated in the torch relay digitally – 15.78 million.

Wang Shun and the digital torchbearer stood in front of a torch stand in the shape of the Games’ emblem, which was spread out in a wave, and lit it together.

“We have devised a way to use digital technology to spread the spirit of the Asian Games and allow everyone to participate directly,” the organizing committee said in a press release, adding that “in the future, everyone will be able to own a digital torch.”

The organizing committee recently held a digital torch relay event that engaged more than 100 million people, who also participated in the final lighting ceremony.

China’s torch lighting has been an unexpected success at international events.

At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, gymnastics hero Ling Ling lit the flame with a flying performance while tethered to a wire, and at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics, Nordic skiing hopefuls Dinigal Iramuzang and Zhao Zhiyuan took over the torch by sticking the flame into a sculpture.

Earlier in the day, the Games’ organizing committee revealed how the flame will be lit during the opening ceremony.

To effectively promote Hangzhou as a high-tech city, the motto of the Games is “smart” and the opening ceremony will incorporate various technologies, the organizers said. 파워볼게임