The Huanglong Sports Centre staged the Athletics Sports Games prior to Hangzhou 2022 ©OCA

Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games' venue Huanglong Sports Centre hosted the 53rd Athletics Sports Games for high school students, marking the main stadium's first event since its renovation.

The arena opened in 2003 and was constructed at a cost of RMB160 million (£19 million/$22 million/€22 million) before upgrades began in 2019.

It has a capacity of 52,672 and an additional 8,000-seater facility.

The venue has a main stadium for football, a hall for gymnastics, and an aquatic centre which is due to stage water polo at the Games.

It is also scheduled to stage the track and field events at the Asian Para Games, also in Hangzhou.

The Huanglong Sports Centre is due to stage events from both the Asian Games and Asian Para Games in Hangzhou ©OCA
The Huanglong Sports Centre is due to stage events from both the Asian Games and Asian Para Games in Hangzhou ©OCA

The main stadium passed an inspection which tested the condition of the main pitch, the athletics training field, and areas such as changing rooms and meeting rooms.

"At the next stage, the operation team of the Huanglong venue cluster will make preparations for invitational events and use these events to test the operation plan and design so as to fully prepare for the successful holding of the Hangzhou Asian Games," said Wang Xiao, director of the sports department of the Chinese Football Association.

Hangzhou 2022 is due to take place from September 23 to October 8 next year following a COVID-19-induced postponement.

It is then scheduled to be followed by the Para Games from October 22 to 28.