14th Asian Games Kicks Off

“One Korea, One Asia.” The 14th Asian Games, a sports gala for 3.7 billion Asians, kicked off on Sept. 29 with the opening ceremony held at 6:00 p.m. in Busan Asiad Stadium. Some 9,900 players from 44 countries will compete for the 419 medals at stake through 38 fields of sports over the next 14 days, the largest scale in the Asian Games history.

At the ceremony, South and North Korean delegations entered the stadium hand in hand wearing a single uniform, a moving scene similar to the one made in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Led by traditional Korean lamp called “Cheongsa Chorong,” Hwangbo Sung-il, a men’s handball player from the South, and Lee Jeong-hee, a women’s soccer player from the North, entered the stadium heading Korean delegations waving the Peninsular Flag. The scene was carrying the message of the games, “One Asia, Peace in Korea,” to the world.

Delegations from war-torn Afghanistan, besieged Palestine and newly independent state East Timor, which attends the games as observers, took their turns, receiving a warm welcome from the audience in the stadium.

The opening ceremony staring with the roaring sound of the Nanta performance welcomed guests from all across Asia ingenuously in Busan dialect.

The torch was lit reflecting the hopes for reconciliation between the two Koreas and unity of the entire Asia. Small torches delivered from the 42 participating countries were combined with two torches lit in Baekdu and Halla mountains in Korea, and carried to the torch stand.

Among high-profile guests at the ceremony were President Kim Dae-jung, presidential candidates, Lee Hoi-chang, Roh Moo-hyun and Jung Mong-joon, International Olympic Committee Chairman Jacque Loge, Olympic Committee of Asia Chairman Alsaba and Korea Sports Council Chairman Lee Yeon-taek.

mars@donga.com