The 16th Asian Games Conclude in Guangzhou

The Asian Games' flame goes out tonight in Guangzhou, China, after two weeks of exciting competitions. It has been the biggest Asiad both in size and scale in the event's 59-year history. Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, President of the Olympic Council of Asia, says the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou will go down in history as "one of the best ever." Our reporter He Fei has the details.

After two weeks of exciting games, the Asian Games' flame has finally been extinguished. With the opening ceremony and fireworks performance still lingering in people's minds, Guangzhou has concluded the 16th Asiad on Haixinsha Island with an equally splendid closing ceremony.

The 16th Asian Games have been unprecedented in both size and scale in the 59-year history of the quadrennial event. Some 10,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions have participated in a record 42 sports ranging from archery to chess.

China has won 199 gold, 119 silver and 98 bronze medals to finish first in the gold-medal ranking for the eighth consecutive time at the 16th Asiad. China's medal count broke the previous record it set at the Beijing Asiad in 1990 when the country won a total of 183 gold medals.

Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia, who hailed the Guangzhou games "the best ever Asian Games" in history, declared the games close in front of nearly 30,000 spectators on the island.

"I now have the honor to officially declare the 16th Asian Games close."

Sheikh Ahmad has called the Guangzhou Games the largest and most expensive one in the history of the event as well as one of the best ever.

"We can announce it officially. The Games have been a success, and it is one of our best games ever in the history of the Asian movement."

Jacques Rogge, President of the International Olympic Committee, who attended the opening ceremony of the Asian Games on November 12th, said he believed that Guangzhou even had the skills to host the Summer Olympics in the future.

But Cai Jiadong, secretary-general of the Chinese delegation for the Guangzhou Asiad, who is also deputy secretary-general of the Chinese Olympic Committee, says the city is not planning to submit a bid to host the event.

"Guangzhou successfully won the bid and then hosted the 16th Asian Games. In terms of whether Guangzhou is going to bid for the Olympic Games after the Asian Games or not, I think that will be considered by the provincial government and people in Guangdong Province. In the meantime, China's Olympic Committee will have discussions with the government and people in Guangdong about their desires and needs. At the moment, we don't have any information or plans."

The next Asian Games will be held in Incheon, South Korea, in 2014.

For CRI, I'm He Fei.