About 10,000 athletes from 45 countries is now in Doha, the host city for the 15th Asian Games. Doha opened the 15th Asian Games in a spectacular opening ceremony which showed Asia's rich cultures and delivered a message of peace on Friday 1st December 2006.
Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar, declared the Arab region's first Asian Games open during a 150-minute extravaganza. Athletes and officials, escorted by women in traditional long robes and head scarfs, streamed into the Khalifa Stadium, with Afghanistan first appearing, followed by countries and regions in English alphabetical order.
China, which sent the largest delegation with 647 athletes, marched in under the flag hoisted by badminton star Bao Chunlai. North Korea and South Korea joined hands under a blue and white unification flag showing the Korean Peninsula, which is the eighth time that two sides have paraded together in an international sports meet.
The parades were rounded off by Qatar, which won a standing ovation from a packed crowd of 40,000. The ceremony started with hundreds of men in white thobes and white gutrahs forming the phrase "Peace Be Upon You" with sparkling fireworks in hands.
The spectators and a television audience of 3 billion were treated with a colorful and high-tech performance, which featured an ancient Qatari who searched for treasures and discovered other parts of Asia with the help of an astrolabe. He returned with riches and handed down not only the astrolabe, but also his respect for knowledge and their own culture.
The arch-shaped huge LED screen interacted with the performance while changing lights helped transform the field of play into ocean, desert or a world map.
For the first time since the inaugural Games in 1951, the Asiad has been held in an Arab country. The organizers have spent US$2.8 billion on the largest ever Asian Games, which drew more than 10,000 athletes and officials from 45 countries and regions. Even before the official opening of the Games, doubts had been dispersed on whether a country of 11,000 square kilometers and with a population of 840,000 could make the Games a success. Qatar has shown the world that size doesn't matter.
Not only did the organizers comfortably house an Olympic number of participants but also impressed the visitors with the 21 state-of-art venues, redeveloped or purpose-built, for the 39 sports, 424 events, 11 more sports than the Olympic Games. The organizing committee looks like a melting pot of cultures as Qatar invited games experts from at least 15 countries and regions, including Australia, Greece and Italy which had hosted recent summer or winter Olympics.
Hundreds of torch carriers fill the floor of the stadium
Sensational Thai performers...
A performer is visible to the crowd only by the lights on his arms and body...
The biggest cheer of the athletes' parade was reserved for host nation Qatar...
The torch carriers spelt out the message ‘Peace be upon you' to the world...
Orry the oryx, Asian Games Mascot...
Talal Mansour passes the flame to HE Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani on horseback, who had the honour of lighting the cauldron...
Artists of invention perform on a giant astrolube...
An artist performs on a flying rocket during the Opening Ceremony...
A flame burns within the astrolabe...
Fireworks...
And more fireworks...
Welcome dance...
Desert horsemen on Arabian horses enter the Khalifa Stadium...
Qatar ladies carrying the "Peace" message via the white doves...
The 15th Asian Games Doha has arrived... Started off with a grand ceremony. Our Malaysian Tigers bring along their "Malaysia Boleh" spirit. Let's wish them all their best performance throughout the competition. Good Luck to all competitors.
How I wish... :)
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