UAE gets warm welcome

Doha: The biggest delegation that the UAE has ever taken to an Asian Games was officially welcomed to Doha on Thursday.

UAE athletes, proudly waving their country's flag, trooped into the outdoor arena at the athletes village for a greeting from Asian Games Mayor, Ahmad Abdullah Al Khulaifi.

During the flag-raising ceremony, the UAE delegation was presented with a gift as a token of Qatari hospitality.

Ebrahim Abdul Malek, general secretary of the UAE National Olympic Committee, said after the ceremony that he considered it his country's duty to support fellow Gulf nation Qatar.

"It is a great moment for the UAE to take part in this tournament," he said. "The Asian Games are the second-largest games in the world and we are participating with the largest delegate up to now.

"We hope for the best because it's almost like home. It is a second home for us in fact and it's our duty to take part for the success of Doha in hosting a Games like this."

But while the UAE has turned out in force to support Qatar, the Emiratis will be all about business when it comes to the competition.

"At the same time we are thinking that we should have some good results," said Abdul Malek, who expects great things from his athletes. "We have some good prospects; in some sports we have a good hope of getting medals.

"Shooting, karate and bowling are all strong. Endurance riding is a big hope for us too. I hope that we will have a good result by the end of the tournament."

But Abdul Malek would not be drawn on which country would prove the UAE's biggest rivals, saying only: "It's difficult to say. The standard in Asia is very high and there are a couple of big countries like China, Japan and Korea. It's difficult to say which country we want to beat most."