Asiad Opener: Incheon spreads wings to Asia

INCHEON – In the dead of the night, shafts of light from the skies streaked to the earth like the long, powerful wings of a once mighty prince, inviting people from the world’s most populous continent to fly back to the future and live as one prosperous, dynamic Asia.

It was the theme of the 17th Asian Games, an epic return to the year 1883 when the winged Prince Biryu found a nation in the port city of Incheon and opened it to the world.

Through its operatic singers and native dancers garbed in traditional colorful Korean costumes, Incheon presented its short but colorful history, some caught alive on a tableau of audiovisuals, and the collective hope it brings to the whole of Asia.

The Philippines, with its token representation, joined the march of 45 nations, and the head of state declared the games open amidst a fireworks display kicking off hostilities in the 16-day meet in 36 sports.

The host city opted for an austere presentation, as it was already heavily indebted with its $2 billion construction of infrastructure projects which were delayed and almost discontinued two years back because of low funding. 

Incheon solved the problems with a dynamic, never-say-die leadership and completed all the facilities in time for the Asian Games, becoming the third after Seoul in 1986 and Busan in 2002, to host the quadrennial meet.

The 2014 Asian Games will hold six sports less than the 2010 Guangzhou Asiad. These include the 28 traditional Olympic sports plus eight additional events – baseball, bowling, cricket, kabaddi, karate, sepak takraw, squash and wushu.

Removed from the 42 featured in the 2010 Asiad were roller sports, chess, billiards, softball, dance sports and dragon boat.

Bowling, one of Korea’s gold mines, was a last minute inclusion. The Olympic Council of Asia last year decided to peg the number at 35 on grounds that the completion had grown too large and could further bring about financial burden on the hosts.

At the Korea assembly last year, South Korea proposed baseball, bowling, kabbadi, sepak takraw, softball, squash and wushu as seven disciplines. But the OCA wanted to add cricket and karate in place of bowling.

In the end bowling stayed and karate and cricket made their way to the program. Softball was left out but was later reinstated, paving the way for the participation of the Blu Girls at the last minute last month.