College students learn to play cricket at the cricket stadium of the Zhejiang University of Technology on March 7. [Photo/hangzhou2022.cn]

A cricket event was held at the Pingfeng campus of Zhejiang University of Technology on March 7 to celebrate the 200-day countdown to the Hangzhou Asian Games, local media outlets reported.

Guan Chenchen, the women's balance beam champion of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, also joined in the celebrations.

"Since retiring, I have been studying at college and am thrilled to participate in activities related to the Asian Games in a different capacity," Guan said, sharing her unforgettable experiences during her sporting career and expressing her best wishes for the Hangzhou Asian Games.

The activity also witnessed the debut of the cricket stadium of the Zhejiang University of Technology. It is a competition venue for the Hangzhou Asian Games venues and also the only professional cricket stadium in Zhejiang province.

Xu Chunyang, the assistant coach of the national men's cricket team, said that it has been nine years since cricket was once again included as an Asian Games event.

"During the past four years, we have never stopped training and we hope that we can inspire more people to learn about this sport through the Asian Games," Xu said.

In addition to the national cricket team, students from countries such as Bangladesh, India, and Zimbabwe showed great enthusiasm for the sport.

"In my hometown, almost everyone can play cricket," said a student from Bangladesh.

Guan Chenchen, the women's balance beam champion of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, speaks at the cricket event. [Photo/hangzhou2022.cn]