<p>How the bid was won<br /><br />* After Seoul, South Korea and Kuala Lumpur withdrew from the bidding process, Guangzhou was left the sole bidding city for the Games and the capital of the Guangdong province was awarded the right to host the Games on July 1, 2004. <br /><br />When the 16th edition of the Asiad kicks-off, Guangzhou will become the second City in China to host the Games after Beijing in 1990.<br /><br />Unique opening<br /><br /></p>.<p>* The highlight, however, will be the Haixinsha Island. The small island will be the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games but will not serve as purpose for competitions.<br />Largest ever!<br /><br />* The first Asian Games were held in New Delhi from March 4-11, 1951 with 489 athletes from 11 countries taking part in six sports. The 16th edition of the Games will have a total of 476 events in 42 sports, making it the largest event in the history of the Games. <br /><br />Twenty20 cricket is among the debutant sports, with dancesport, dragon boat race and roller sport also being added to the programme.<br /><br />Mascots and emblem<br /><br />* On April 28, 2008, five sporty rams, dubbed the ‘Le Yangyang’, were unveiled as the 2010 Games’ mascot. The five rams -- A Xiang, A He, A Ru, A Yi and Le Yangyang -- are a play on Guangzhou's nickname, ‘The City of Goats.’ <br /><br />The Chinese character ‘yang’ or ‘goat’ is also an auspicious symbol. When read together, the Chinese names of the five rams are a message of blessing, literally meaning, ‘harmony, blessing, success and happiness.’ <br /><br />The mascot design is based on a legend of five immortals who took five rams to Guangzhou and prayed for an end to a famine, then flew into the sky as the five rams turned into fossils.<br /><br />Designed by Zhang Qiang, the concept of the ram is embodied in the emblem design, expressing Guangzhou citizens’ readiness to embrace the 2010 Asian Games and to present the best of Guangzhou to the people of Asia and across the world. <br /><br />The soft and uplifting lines in the emblem design outlines a contour of the five rams that is identical to the shape of a torch.<br /></p>
<p>How the bid was won<br /><br />* After Seoul, South Korea and Kuala Lumpur withdrew from the bidding process, Guangzhou was left the sole bidding city for the Games and the capital of the Guangdong province was awarded the right to host the Games on July 1, 2004. <br /><br />When the 16th edition of the Asiad kicks-off, Guangzhou will become the second City in China to host the Games after Beijing in 1990.<br /><br />Unique opening<br /><br /></p>.<p>* The highlight, however, will be the Haixinsha Island. The small island will be the venue for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Games but will not serve as purpose for competitions.<br />Largest ever!<br /><br />* The first Asian Games were held in New Delhi from March 4-11, 1951 with 489 athletes from 11 countries taking part in six sports. The 16th edition of the Games will have a total of 476 events in 42 sports, making it the largest event in the history of the Games. <br /><br />Twenty20 cricket is among the debutant sports, with dancesport, dragon boat race and roller sport also being added to the programme.<br /><br />Mascots and emblem<br /><br />* On April 28, 2008, five sporty rams, dubbed the ‘Le Yangyang’, were unveiled as the 2010 Games’ mascot. The five rams -- A Xiang, A He, A Ru, A Yi and Le Yangyang -- are a play on Guangzhou's nickname, ‘The City of Goats.’ <br /><br />The Chinese character ‘yang’ or ‘goat’ is also an auspicious symbol. When read together, the Chinese names of the five rams are a message of blessing, literally meaning, ‘harmony, blessing, success and happiness.’ <br /><br />The mascot design is based on a legend of five immortals who took five rams to Guangzhou and prayed for an end to a famine, then flew into the sky as the five rams turned into fossils.<br /><br />Designed by Zhang Qiang, the concept of the ram is embodied in the emblem design, expressing Guangzhou citizens’ readiness to embrace the 2010 Asian Games and to present the best of Guangzhou to the people of Asia and across the world. <br /><br />The soft and uplifting lines in the emblem design outlines a contour of the five rams that is identical to the shape of a torch.<br /></p>
