GUANGZHOU, Nov. 10 (Xinhua) -- Husain Al-Musallam, director general of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), said he is satisfied with the preparation of the Guangzhou Asian Games Wednesday on a press conference.
"I appreciated the good preparation that Guangzhou did for the Asian Games," said Al- Musallam. "They did a good job."
"The most important thing is to insure the safety," he said. "It is usual that before the opening ceremony, you feel tense and worried about the Games, but after the opening ceremony, everything just gets smooth."
The Guangzhou Games will have the most sports ever competed in the Asian Games history, as it includes 28 Olympic sports and 14 non-Olympic sports, with a total of 42 sports and 476 events. It will introduce the sports of cricket, dance sport, dragon boat, roller sport and Weiqi for the first time.
"The 14 non-Olympic sports in Asian Games will give the young people in Asia with more chances to show themselves," said Al-Musallam. "Some of those sports are very famous in Asia, such as cricket and dance sport. I heard the tickets of women's cricket were already sold out."
"The Guangzhou Games will add a very great value to the Asian Games," he added.
Xu Ruisheng, deputy secretary general of Guangzhou Asian Games organizing committee (GAGOC), said the preparation for the Asian has been completed.
The Asian Games kicks off on Nov. 12. During the 15-day Games, a total of 10,156 athletes from 45 Asian countries and regions will compete in 476 events in 42 sporting fixtures.
