Athletics: Hanoi set to host 2019 Asian Games

Vietnamese officials celebrate as they say the Games will unlock millions of dollars in infrastructure investment.

HONG KONG: Hanoi won the right to host the 2019 Asian Games, sparking celebrations among Vietnamese officials who said the decision would unlock millions of dollars in infrastructure investment.

The Vietnamese capital got the nod ahead of Indonesia’s second biggest city of Surabaya and Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, according to the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA). “

The majority of the votes are for the city of Hanoi to hold the 2019 Asian Games,” said the OCA president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah.

“The leaders of the country, the sports groups of the country involved with the mega event, we have trust that they will reach their commitment, and as a partner we will work very closely with them to bring the best Games ever in Asia.”

Published in The Express Tribune, November 9^th, 2012.