The 2022 Asian Games took place a year later than planned in Chinese city Hangzhou.

Originally due to take place between September 10 to 25, 2022, the event was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and moved to 2023.

Dates of between September 23 and October 8 were set.

Hangzhou is the third Chinese city to have hosted the event, after Beijing in 1990 and Guangzhou in 2010.

The programme featured 61 sporting disciplines, including the 33 which featured at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, as well as six from Paris 2024, two put forward by the Local Organising Committee, and a sport from each of Asia's five regions.

Esports was also included for the first time.

At the 2018 Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) General Assembly in Jakarta, officials claimed the 2022 Asian Games would be the start of a new chapter for Hangzhou.

Hangzhou will be the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games ©OCA
Hangzhou will be the third Chinese city to host the Asian Games ©OCA

With more than 10 metro lines and two inter-city railways completed by 2022, the city was transformed rapidly.

It came as part of the overall mission to transform Hangzhou into an international gateway city.

Hangzhou was chosen to host the 2022 Asian Games by the OCA at its General Assembly in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan in September 2015.

It was the only bidder.

The weather in Hangzhou is generally warm and mild all year round ©Getty Images
The weather in Hangzhou is generally warm and mild all year round ©Getty Images

About Hangzhou

Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang Province and the local political, economic and cultural centre.

As the southern terminus of the Grand Canal, the city is located on the lower reaches of the Qiantang River in Southeast China.

It is only 180 kilometres from Shanghai.

Hangzhou is served by the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, which is situated in the east of the city, about 27km from the centre.

The airport is an important air link in China, providing direct service to many international destinations such as Japan, Malaysia, The Netherlands, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.

In 2018, the Hangzhou State Council approved the planning for 15 metro lines, including extensions to the three existing lines, scheduled to open in time for the 2022 Asian Games.

The weather in Hangzhou is generally warm and mild all year round, with a lot of sunshine and rainfall.

There are four clear-cut seasons; a wet and rainy spring, a hot and humid summer, a cool and clear autumn, and a dry and cold winter.

View our dedicated section to Hangzhou 2022 here.