Lots of dignitaries but no real fireworks as the Asian Games open<br /><br />The opening ceremony of the Asian Games on Saturday in China offered all the staples of a major international sports event.<br /><br />Dignitaries greeted General Secretary Xi Jinping, fans packed the 80,000-seat Olympic Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou to capacity, and many of the 12,417 participants from 45 nations and territories paraded to officially open the two-week show.<br /><br />By comparison, next year's Paris Olympics will field about 10,500 competitors.<br /><br />One big thing, however, was missing: real fireworks, the exploding kind that smell of power and burnt fuses. Instead, the high-tech games — billed of course as “green games” — offered electronic flash, 3D animations and a virtual torchbearer.<br /><br />PHOTOS BY AP<br /><br /><br />Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe <br /> <br />Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net <br /> <br />Follow us: <br />Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook <br />Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram <br />Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter <br />DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion <br /> <br />Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital <br /> <br />Check out our Podcasts: <br />Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify <br />Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts <br />Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic <br />Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer <br />Stitcher: https://tmt.ph/stitcher<br />Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein<br /> <br /> <br />#TheManilaTimes<br />#asiangames2023<br />#sports<br />#china<br />#technology<br />#ceremony
