SEA Games starts with dazzle<\/p>\n
Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Hanoi, Vietnam<\/p>\n
Vietnam proudly welcomed athletes from 10 other nations to the
\n22nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, its first major international
\nsports event, here on Friday night.<\/p>\n
In the rush to determine the winners of 442 gold medals in 32
\nsports before the closing ceremony on Dec. 13, six had already
\nbeen awarded before Prime Minister Phan Van Khai formally opened
\nthe biennial games. One in billiards was decided soon afterward.<\/p>\n
Even as the prime minister addressed some 4,000 athletes at
\nthe opening ceremony in the National Stadium, boxing and chess
\nevents were underway.<\/p>\n
Malaysia and the Philippines took one and two golds,
\nrespectively on Friday. Malaysia won the men's archery, while the
\nFilipinos upset the Malaysians in the women's archery and added
\nanother gold when Warren Kiamco and Lee Vann Corteza beat
\nIndonesians Muhammad Junarto and Nurdin 9-3 in 9-ball pool
\ndoubles.<\/p>\n
Host Vietnam's women's gymnastics team also won gold on
\nFriday. Meanwhile, Indonesia and Thailand boasted one gold each
\nbefore the formal opening.<\/p>\n
The waving of red flags at the opening ceremony followed
\nmassive, spontaneous celebrations in Hanoi's streets earlier on
\nThursday night, when motorcyclists circled, sporting national
\nflags, after Vietnam beat Indonesia 1-0 in the soccer and moved
\nwithin a victory of the semifinals.<\/p>\n
Parachutists carried the flags of all 11 competing nations
\nover the darkened stadium on Friday night as a dozen spotlights
\ncrisscrossed the breezy sky.<\/p>\n
Another flew low over a giant cauldron as the games' flame
\nflared up. For the lighting ceremony, the prime minister had
\naccepted the torch before handing it to a horseman in a
\ntraditional costume who completed a lap of the arena.<\/p>\n
A standing ovation greeted the tiny delegation from East
\nTimor, who joined the games for the first time.<\/p>\n
Vietnam's leadership troika looked on from the VIP section,
\nabove which hung a giant portrait of Vietnamese Communist Party
\nfounding father Ho Chi Minh -- an ever present figure at every
\nmajor event in the country.<\/p>\n
In line with the communist nation's passion for slogans, the
\nregional mini-Olympics have been given the motto \"Solidarity,
\nCooperation for Peace and Development\".<\/p>\n
The construction of the US$53 million, 40,000-seat stadium was
\ncompleted just three months ago on the outskirts of Hanoi.<\/p>\n
Emerging from decades of war and isolation, Vietnam won three
\ngold medals at the 1989 SEA Games and had boosted its tally to 33
\nat the 2001 games.<\/p>\n
This time around it has set a goal of 100; on the way with
\ngold in the women's gymnastics, scoring 124.55 points to edge
\nSingapore by 0.125.<\/p>\n
Philippines finished the day with the most gold, one in both
\narchery and billiards.<\/p>\n
Singapore splashed home its first gold from the Aquatics
\nCenter, where it topped the final standings of the water polo
\nevent to leave Thailand and the Philippines with silver and
\nbronze medals respectively.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, which started well, floundered in the remaining
\ngames with two wins, a draw and two losses. It was trounced by
\nSingapore 4-11 on Friday while Thailand scraped to a narrow 9-7
\nvictory over Philippines.<\/p>\n
Suwandi, Febi Widhiyanto, Hendri Pramono and Prima Simpati Aji
\ngave the Indonesian tennis team a 3-0 victory over the
\nPhilippines in their opening matches. Vietnam, Thailand and
\nMalaysia also chalked up a 3-0 win each over their respective
\nopponents.<\/p>\n
Still in Ho Chi Minh City, Indonesia's hopes for gold in chess
\nwere dashed after Utut Adianto and Irwanto Sadikin failed to
\nmarch to the semifinals.<\/p>\n
While Irwanto's defeat to Vietnamese Dao Thian Hai was
\nexpected, it was an unanticipated loss for Indonesia's number one
\nUtut, who tumbled 2-3 to unknown Goh Koonjong Jason of Singapore.<\/p>",
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