Top performers at opening

Doha: Doha Asian Games Organising Committee (DAGOC) yesterday announced names of top performers from the Middle East and Asia who will grace the opening ceremony of the 15th Asian Games on December 1.

Kept a closely guarded secret for almost two years, the Games organisers said Hong Kong's pop superstar Jacky Cheung, Indian pop and Bollywood sensation Sunidhi Chauhan, Lebanese artist Magida El Roumi and tenor José Carreras will be among the star spangled galaxy of performers at the Khalifa Stadium, within the Sport City precincts. "We are so excited to announce the leading performers who will play a major role in heralding the start to the Games," said Ahmad Abdullah Al Khulaifi, Deputy Director General, DAGOC.

The first to perform a song written specifically for the ceremony is one of the finest singers and film stars to have come out of Hong Kong, Jacky Cheung. A pioneer and superstar of Cantopop, Jacky is arguably the most popular and respected Chinese pop singer in the world winning global awards including Chinese Artiste of the Year in Monte Carlo in 1995 and 1996.

Chauhan will perform Reach Out, a song written by internationally renowned Australian composers Paul Begaud and Vanessa Corish. She will perform this song as a salute to athletes from 45 countries and regions participating in the Games.

In a major 'first,' Lebanese artist Magida El Roumi will perform a duet with Spanish performer José Carreras to herald the arrival of the torch.