The 16th Asian Games will open Friday for a 16-day run in Guangzhou, China.

Some 14-thousand athletes from 45 Asian countries will compete in 42 events during the Games.

The opening ceremony for the event will be held at 9 p.m. Friday on Haixinsha Island along the Pearl River that runs through the city of Guangzhou. The director of the event’s organizing committee says the performances to be staged at the opening ceremony will take advantage of the island’s geographic location, with the main theme of the artistic performances being water.

South Korea has sent a total of one-thousand-13 athletes to compete in the sporting event. Handball player Yoon Kyung-shin will lead the South Korean team into the opening ceremony as the flag bearer.

South Korea is aiming to win more than 65 gold medals to rank no lower than second in the overall medal tally for the fourth consecutive time at the Asian Games.