11 November,2010 08:52 AM IST | | Correspondent
Sporting dates
The 2010 Asian Games also known as the XVI Asiad, will be held in Guangzhou, China from November 12 to 27.
Mascot
Le Yangyang is name of the leader of five goats. It refers to all of the mascots, each of them serving as the mascot.
Live on TV Can Sania do the incredible?
THE Games will be telecast live on Ten Sports ufffd 12 hours of action from 7:30 am to 7:30 pm every day from November 13 to 26. The opening ceremony will be telecast at 5:15 pm on November 12 while the closing ceremony can be watched at 4:00 pm on November 27.
The channel will focus on sports dominated by Indian participation like boxing, badminton, tennis, table tennis, hockey, shooting, archery, football and wrestling.
476 events
Au00a0total of 476 events in 42 sports will be contested by athletes, making it the largest event in the Games' history.
Hosting rights
Guangzhou was awarded the rights to host the Games on July 1, 2004 after the withdrawal of Kuala Lumpur
and Seoul.
$17 billion
According to the Mayor of Guangzhou, Wan Qingliang, the total cost of staging the Asian Games and the Asian Para Games is $17 billion.
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony will be held on November 12, 2010 on Haixinsha Island in the Pearl River.
Debut for cricket
For the first time, cricket will feature in the Games but there will be no India representation as the Board of Control for Cricket in India did not send a team citing a packed schedule. Pakistan and Sri Lanka confirmed their participation.
Billiards' time
CUE sports were not part of the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi, but the Asian Games will witness them. Indian billiards stars Pankaj Advani and Geet Sethi mean business.
Boxing worries
India won three gold and four bronze medals at the Commonwealth Games but the Asian Games challenge will be greater. According to World No 1 Vijender Singh, boxers from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan might prove to be a handful.
Challenge for Saina
IN badminton, the hosts are all set to dominate unless their party is spoilt by Indians, who answer to the names ofu00a0 Saina Nehwal, Jwala Gutta and Ashwini Ponappa, all fresh from their Commonwealth Games triumphs.
Kaur value
In athletics, watch out for Mandeep Kaur, who was part of the gold-medal winning 400m relay team. Brave discus thrower Krishna Poonia may also enjoy her time in the spotlight
Hockey hopes
The Indian men's hockey team which won the silver at the Commonwealth Games will look to thrive in Chinaland too. But it will take some doing to see off South Korea and old enemy Pakistan, their 7-4 win over Pak at the Commonwealth notwithstanding.
Som respite
Inu00a0 tennis, Somdev Devvarman and Sania Mirza are India's hopes but it will be tough without the presence of some big names like Leander Paes, Mahesh Bhupathi and Rohan Bopanna.
Sharp shooters
Indian shooters won 14 golds at the Commonwealth Games, but it is not going to be a similar success story, reckon the sport's pundits with the presence of the formidable Chinese. In any case, following the likes of Gagan Narang, Abhinav Bindra, Manavjit Singh Sandhu and Tejaswini Sawant will not be a waste.
