The 2014 Asian Games, officially XVII Asiad, the largest sporting event in Asia
is scheduled to take place in Incheon, South Korea from September 19 – October
4, 2014 - with 439 events in 36 sports and disciplines set to feature in the
Games. The opening ceremony will start
at 18:00 local time today, Korea is 3.30 hrs ahead of IST. The
performance will include four acts, from "Asia long time ago",
"Asia meeting through the sea", "Asia as family and
friends", and "Asia as one and future joining with today".
In the previous version in 2010,
the total medals scooped by the Indian contingent was 65 -- comprising 14 gold,
17 silver and 34 bronze ; the sizeable heist in Guangzhou piloted the country
to a highly creditable sixth spot on the table which was topped by hosts China
with a staggering haul of 199 gold medals.
Earlier in 1982 Asiad at New Delhi, India finished at 5th
spot. India ended up eighth in 2002 when
South Korea previously hosted the Games.
This time the Indian contingent is 679-strong -- including
516 athletes – pruned from the initial
942 comprising 662 athletes and the rest officials. In most
International events, the traditional part of the ceremonies starts with
a "Parade of Nations", during which most participating athletes march
into the stadium, country by country. It is not compulsory for athletes to
participate in the opening ceremonies.
Each country's delegation is led by a sign with the name of their
country and by their nation's flag and one naturally gets emotional seeing
their own Country as also their favourite athletes marching in. Sardar Singh,
Captain of the National Hockey team will
be India’s flag-bearer in the Asian Games opening ceremony. Sardar Singh made his debut against Pakistan
in 2006. He is a Deputy Superintendent of Police. India won Gold in 1966 and 1998. Overall South Koreans have won 8 equalled by
Pakistan.
Leading the contingent and
being a flag-bearer is a great honour and just as I thought that Hockey rightfully
is getting pride of place, the words of Chef-de-Mission Adille Sumariwalla puts
it different. "There were so many contenders, we asked them. Wrestlers are
not there, boxers are not there. The badminton event is starting the day after
and so do the shooters." The former national sprint champion and Olympian
explained that the focus should not be
on the flag bearer, which was just symbolic, but on winning honours at the
Games. Sumariwalla added that because of the restrictions imposed by the
organisers, each country cannot field more than 130 persons in the parade. It can be less but not more – with a
contingent of more than 500 athletes and Chef de-mission is unsure of getting
the required numbers for the show !. Meanwhile,
the Indian tri-colour was hoisted at the Athletes Village in a lively ceremony,
which included dancers on stilts, on Thursday.
During London Olympics, it
was stated that leading the contingent as flag-bearer is a great honour and there were days of
speculation as to who it would be, before it fell on wrestler Sushil kumar. Sushil Kumar who won the gold medal in the 66 kg freestyle
competition at the FILA 2010 World Wrestling Championships and a bronze medal
in the Men's 66kg Freestyle Wrestling event at the 2008 Beijing Olympics had
the honour of leading the Indian contingent in Olympics Opening ceremony. There was some controversy as - a mysterious
woman walked alongside Indian flagbearer – the Security, the Organisers, the Indian Contingent
– administrators and Managers – none cared to see ‘who she was’ ? and why
someone would walk ahead of more famous athletes !!!! It was supposed to be one
of the proudest moments of their lives for those competing, the chance to show
the world that they were ready to take part in the Olympics. But in the front
was a woman wearing a red top and
turquoise trousers while athletes were dressed in yellow turbans or saris. Later she was identified to be ‘Madhura’, a dancer from Bangalore.
Any reference to Asiad might perhaps take us to the
sad memories of that singularly drastic defeat handed over in the Delhi Asiad way
back in 1982. New generation would only read as 32 years have fleeted past but many of us cannot forget the sadness of watching India
going down 1-7 and would remember Mir Ranjan Negi.
With regards – S.
Sampathkumar
19th Sept. 2o14.
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