Swimmer Qin Haiyang and basketball player Yang Liwei were announced on Friday as the flag bearers of the Chinese delegation at the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Games.
Profile of Qin Haiyang. /CFP
Qin, 24, emerged as a dominant presence in the men's breaststroke at the World Aquatics Championships two months ago, taking all three individual gold medals in the event (50m, 100m and 200m) and pocketing his fourth in the mixed 4x100m medley relay. He currently holds the men's breaststroke 200m world record with a time of 2:05.48 from the final in Fukuoka.
In the Hangzhou Asian Games, he is registered in the men's 50m, 100m and 200m breaststroke and two relays.
Meanwhile, Yang, who is captain of the Chinese women's basketball team, will join Qin as a flag bearer.
Profile of Yang Liwei. /CFP
Yang led her teammates to finish China's 12-year wait for the Asia Cup title in July after they finished second in the FIBA Women's World Cup last year. The point guard was born in 1995 and stands at 1.76 meters tall.
The opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Games will take place on Saturday evening, and the Games will run from September 23 to October 8.
Team China has announced a delegation of 1,329 members, including 886 athletes who will compete in 407 events across 38 sports.
(Cover: Profile of the main stadium of the 19th Asian Games, Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center. /CFP)
(With input from Xinhua)
