Sport | Other Sports
A colourful finish to the Games
A chill December wind teased its way around Khalifa Stadium as Doha signed off on the Asian Games on Friday.
- By Sarah Tregoning, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:36 May 3, 2009
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Doha: A chill December wind teased its way around Khalifa Stadium as Doha signed off on the Asian Games on Friday.
A total of 1,393 medals had been awarded over the two weeks of the Asian Games, with new Asian records set in archery, athletics, cycling track, shooting, swimming and weightlifting.
The Games had been held under one of the wettest Qatar winters in memory.
There had been tears of joy and mourning after one athlete, Korea's Kim Hyung-chil, was killed in a riding accident after his horse rolled over him on the cross country course. He was the first athlete to die while competing in an Asian Games.
There was great delight on the streets of Doha before the ceremony as Qatar won the gold they really wanted football in a 1-0 win over Iraq.
Athletes, officials and spectators from every country attended the sell-out closing ceremony to say goodbye to the Games and remember the sporting feats that had been inspired by the event.
Some of the most memorable moments were played before the start of the ceremony on giant screens. The ceremony itself was inspired by A Thousand and One Nights, one of the best-known pieces of Arab literature.
The audience watched as the tale was told in the most colourful and acrobatic way imaginable. Characters including Scheherazade, Ali Baba, Sinbad and Aladdin were brought to life.
And the athletes of the Games, unified in one group entered the stadium en masse as a specially commissioned piece, The Land of the Oryx, was played by a 120-strong orchestra.
The Heir Apparent, Shaikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani told the crowd: "We are keen that the flame which we extinguish tonight will continue to glow in our hearts."
And the President of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), Shaikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, requested that Asian athletes meet again, in four years' time for the next Asian Games.
"I declare the Games closed and in accordance with the tradition, I call upon the youth of Asia to assemble in four years in Guangzhou, China to celebrate the 16th Asian Games in accordance with the ideals of the Olympic Council of Asia."
And the athletes of the Games, unified in one group entered the stadium en masse as a specially commissioned piece, The Land of the Oryx, was played by a 120-strong orchestra.
Update: Iraqis find solace in soccer team's show
Beset by daily violence, Iraqis found some solace in their soccer team's run to the final of the Asiad, even though it ended in defeat on Friday.
For many home fans, just getting that far was a triumph of talent and willpower over adversity. "It is great that our team reached this level," said Haider Qasim, a 23-year-old university student. He noted that other teams regularly trained at elite camps abroad or bolstered their ranks with foreign-born stars, while players in Iraq have endured scarce resources and security threats at home. Sectarian violence and insurgent attacks plague Iraq, and have triggered an exodus of people who can afford to leave the country.
-AP
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