An Asian Games news conference is jointly held by the Olympic Council of Asia and the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee in Hangzhou on September 22, 2023. Photo: Lin Xiaoyi/GT

Acting President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) Randhir Singh, expressed his high recognition of the slogan "Heart to heart, @future" for the Hangzhou Asian Games at a press conference jointly held by the OCA and the Hangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee (HAGOC) on Friday.

That is the reason we are looking forward to the Games, as the slogan carries a message of peace and harmony that is sometimes missing from the world, Singh told the Global Times.

According to OCA, the slogan for the Hangzhou Asian Games "Heart to Heart, @Future," reflects the ability of the digital age to connect people from all over the continent through the Asian Games.

Executive Secretary General of the HAGOC and Vice Mayor of Hangzhou Chen Weiqiang previously explained that the biggest highlight of the slogan is the internet symbol "@," which not only represents the interconnectedness of everything, but also fits the characteristics of Hangzhou as a city of the internet.

The slogan is intended to express the hearts of the people from all countries on the Asian Games stage, tolerance, the unity of the OCA family, the close embracing of ideals, and at the same time conveys confidence and optimism and not being afraid of challenges, and it also conveys the good intention of building a global community of a shared future for Asia, Chen said.

All messages are conveyed through the heart, and as the Hangzhou Asian Games is an event of peace and harmony, we have to continue to face the future with our hearts together, and this is a call to the world, the OCA acting president said.

"It reminds us that we can find that these peaceful stories have so many clues in the Games, and not only in the world of sport, but in the world that we live in," Singh told the Global Times.

Singh mentioned that compared to other continents, organizing and hosting the games in the vast land of Asia has unique advantages in terms of nature and geography. "Asia is the only continent which can and is ready to host any games, anytime."

Singh was particularly impressed by China's actions. "It's incredible that China has hosted so many sporting events and that a city can host the Winter Olympics after the Summer Olympics," he said. Singh believes that this situation is unique in Asia, and noted that these sporting events unite Asian sportspeople and the brotherhood of nations.

Singh said he was looking forward to the Hangzhou Asian Games, and believed that both the Games, and its theme slogan, would be a "solution" to the current challenges facing the world.

Over the years, humanity has encountered various problems, but the Asian family is united. "We know what our goals are. We know what we are planning for. We know what we're looking forward to achieving for the continent," he said.

"We will be able to offer a 'solution' in China, especially as we are the one group that has worked so hard for the Games, conveying the concept that Asia is strong, Asia is one, and this idea and power will also affect the world," Singh remarked.