The design of the Games emblem is derived from an ancient story about how 5 goats saved the city of Guangzhou. For this reason Guangzhou is also known as the City of Goats or the City of Rice Ears, and the goat became the city symbol.

The beloved goat is embodied in the emblem design. The soft and vibrant contours of the emblem symbolize the running lanes of an athletics track, the sacred, forever burning flames of an Asian Games Torch and finally, the silhouette of the Statue of the Five Goats. The design, a combination of the concrete and the abstract, of grace and finesse, therefore cleverly combines elements of Guangzhou and the Asian Games at the same time. The Emblem perfectly represents Guangzhou, the sports aspirations of its people and the dynamism of the Asian Games.