2006 Asian Games

Learn more about 2006 Asian Games

The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that is being held in Doha, Qatar from December 1, 2006 to December 15, 2006. Doha will be the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia after Tehran in 1974 to host the games. There are 46 disciplines from 39 events scheduled to be contested.

[edit] Bidding process

On November 12, 2000, the voting took place in Busan, South Korea, which was the venue for the 2002 Asian Games. The voting involved the 41 members of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and consisted of three rounds, each round eliminating one of the bidding cities. <ref name=one>MALAYSIA AMAZED AT LOSING ASIAN GAMES TO QATAR</ref> After the first round, New Delhi was eliminated with only 2 votes. The second round of voting, with three remaining candidates, gave a surprise result.

1. Doha: 22
2. Kuala Lumpur: 13
3. Hong Kong: 6

Under the regulations of the OCA, a candidate which gains half of the available votes will automatically be selected as the host, and the remaining rounds of voting will be cancelled. When Doha gained 22 out of 41 votes this meant they were selected to host the 2006 Asian Games. Most of Qatar's votes came from the unanimous support from West Asian countries. <ref>People's Daily</ref>

After the major upset, Malaysia and Hong Kong expressed their disappointment. Malaysia said that the selection of Doha was ridiculous<ref name=one/> and that the selection of Doha was influenced by Qatar's background as a wealthy country.<ref>Choice of Qatar for Asian Games prompts cries of foul</ref>

[edit] Torch relay

The torch relay has been integral to the Asian Games since 1958. The plans for the Doha 2006 torch relay were revealed by the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee (DAGOC) on January 20, 2006. <ref name=torch>Doha Asian Games torch relay route revealed</ref>

The relay itself started on October 8, 2006 with a brief ceremony at the Doha Golf Club named "Flame of Hospitality". <ref>Torch ceremony marks countdown to Games</ref> The rugged terrain of the island and surrounding rough coastline has led to the appearance of many wrecked dhows on the beaches of the island, most of them well preserved by the salt water and intense heat. With the involvement of over 3000 people, the torch is crossing 8 former Asian Games host countries and 4 Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) States. <ref name=torch /> The first pit stop was in New Delhi, India on October 11, 2006. In total the relay will pass over 15 countries and 23 cities all over Asia. The relay, which has a distance of 50,000 kilometres in 55 days is the longest relay in the history of the Asian Games.<ref name=torch />

Below is a list of countries and cities visited:

1. India – New Delhi
2. South Korea – Busan
3. Philippines – Manila
4. Japan – Hiroshima
5. China – Beijing, Guangzhou, Macau SAR, Hong Kong SAR
6. Indonesia – Jakarta
7. Thailand – Bangkok
8. Iran – Mashad, Esfahan, Tehran
9. Oman – Salalah, Muscat, Sohar
10. United Arab Emirates – Hatta, Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi
11. Kuwait – Kuwait City
12. Bahrain – Manama

The porch traveled back to Qatar and the journey around the city itself started on November 25, 2006 and lasted until the opening ceremony of the Games.

[edit] Mascot

The Doha Asian Games Organising Committee chose "Orry", a Qatari Oryx, as the official mascot of the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006. The Oryx had once become extinct in the wild, but thanks to preservation and conservation groups it has recently been reintroduced. The choice of Orry also sends a message of peace, commitment and fun at the Games. <ref>Mascot of Asian Games 2006</ref>

[edit] Opening Ceremony

Main article: 2006 Asian Games Opening Ceremony

The Opening Ceremony of the Games was described by the media to be one of the most technologically spectacular multi-sports event ceremony.<ref>Doha Asiad off to spectacular start</ref> It was viewed by 50,000 spectators in the Khalifa International Stadium, and famous guests like the IOC's Jacques Rogge, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Syrian President Bashar Assad. <ref>Media fascinated by high-tech at Doha Asiad opening ceremony</ref> This opening ceremony was directed by David Atkins, who conducted the Sydney 2000 opener.<ref>Asian Games open with a festival celebrating the Gulf</ref>

The ceremony started with the welcome of Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani with the OCA chairman Sheikh Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah and his wife. After that, a 10 second countdown began to signal the starting of the opening ceremony. The message "peace upon to you" from a group of 2,300 young people with the Arabic greeting of "asslamualaikum" after the countdown. A group of children, lead by Nasser Khaled Al Kubaisi, then sang Qatar's national anthem and raised the national flag.

The first part of the show, called "The Journey Begins", tells about a young man called the "Seeker" leaving his family, and Nura, his love and beginning his discovery of Asia, guided only by the stars and his astrolabe. After encountering a fierce storm at sea, he was rescued by a giant falcon, landing him on safe ground where he continued his path to discovering the colourful history and cultures of Asia. The Angkor Wat, the Taj Mahal, the Temple of Heaven and Borobudur were among the important landmarks he passed. The Seeker was also treated to a multicultural presentation that displayed the cultures of different Asian regions. Nura, on the other hand, descended into the stadium with a very large piece of cloth trailing her, covering the entire eastern stands, and sang in Arabic, "Atone, Atone Oh Sea!" as she despairs, waiting for the arrival of her love. With his Asian brothers helping him in his way back to his homeland, the Seeker safely made it back to Nura, and invited all of Asia to celebrate their wedding.

The latter part of the cultural programme focused on the Seeker showing his son the Arab world's contributions to modern science in the past, the present and the future. Sixty-four horsemen also entered the stadium in the segment 'Tribute to the Desert Horseman.'

After the Athlete's Oath and Judge's Oath, as well as opening speeches and remarks were finished, delegates from the 45 countries and regions of Asia entered the stadium. For the third time after Olympics 2000 and 2004, North Korea and South Korea jointly entered the stadium under one flag. Performances from Hong Kong's Jacky Cheung, who sang "Together We Can", as well as India's Bollywood star Sunidhi Chauhan who sang "Reach Out" were a tribute to the athletes. Lebanon's Magida El Roumi and Spanish tenor José Carreras performed "Light the Way".

The most dramatic moment is when Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani rode his horse up the stairs to the top of the stadium to light up the giant cauldron in the form of a giant astrolabe. The flame was transferred electronically to the Aspire Tower just outside the stadium, and fireworks soon went off, signalling the start of the 2006 Asian Games.

[edit] Criticism

Despite the spectacular opening ceremony, which received high praise, there was some criticism by some delegations and athletes. Heavy rain poured down just after the end of opening ceremony, and many believed that the organizers did not have plans to deal with it, creating a chaotic situation. Chef de Mission of the Philippines, Butch Ramirez, said that some of the members of the Philippine delegation, including athletes, where soaked in the rain because the organizing officials did not allow them to re-enter the covered stadium for shelter; instead they had to stay in the heavy rain for more than 30 minutes. He goes on to say that, the breakdown in transportation protocols due to the rain caused the athletes to rush to the nearest bus station, exposing them to rain. Ramirez said that he himself was a victim of pushing and shoving due to this chaos, and that because of it, he suffered from an asthma attack. <ref>Rains spoil ‘best’ opening ceremony</ref>

Malaysian athletes also expressed unhappiness. According to the athletes, the organizing officials allowed only the Qatari team to exit the stadium and held back the other 44 nations inside. Also, the disarrangement of transportation queues meant that they had to wait in the wet, freezing, and tiring conditions till 2 a.m., when they were finally sent to the Athletes' Village. <ref>But the Malaysians end up wet and unhappy</ref>

A Japanese journalist said while a few buses and bus stops were prepared around the stadium, the organisers also didn't install shelters to protect people waiting in these stations. <ref>Transport woes open for Asiad</ref>

In fact the transportation was not as troublesome as some reports indicated. For example, while organizers projected that it would take about 1 hour and 40 minutes to clear the stadium of delegations and athletes, it actually took only 1 hour and 15 minutes, with the last delegations arriving at the Athletes' Village before 1:00 a.m. Additionally, the Qatari team, which stood in the middle of the Stadium field during the Ceremonies, left in the middle of delegations, neither first nor last.^{[citation needed]} The public spectator car parks were nearly empty less than an hour after the event.

As of this writing, there has been some confusion concerning the many volunteers working the games; as in many not showing up to their assignments, too many showing up at events or locations, and some complaining that they were being made to do work other than what they previously agreed to do, as in VIP hostesses being told to pick up trash outside on the streets. Many volunteers have been complaining about the lack of transportation needed to take them to their locations, as most are guest workers and have no privately owned vehicles. They are authorized free use of taxis, but they are saying the taxis are not stopping for them, despite tbe fact that they have been given vouchers by organisers. After a volunteer briefing/Opening Ceremony rehearsal at Khalifa Stadium, hundreds of volunteers were stranded as they were unable to find transportation back into the city, many not getting to their homes until several hours later.

[edit] Sports

The sport events to be contested at the 2006 Asian Games are listed below. Officially there are 46 disciplines from 39 sports in contention. All events listed will start after the opening ceremony except Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Football (Soccer), Table tennis, and Volleyball, which will start before the opening ceremony.

Click on each sport for detailed schedules and results.

[edit] Participating NOCs

Named and arranged after their IOC designations, all 45 OCA members are participating in the Games. The number in parentheses indicates the number of participants that the NOC contributed.

Note 1: Chinese Taipei is the official IOC designation for the state officially referred to as the Republic of China, more commonly known as Taiwan.

[edit] Medal tally

As of 18:50, 3 December 2006 (UTC +3)