Dazzling opening to SEA Games

Dazzling opening to SEA Games

JAKARTA (JP): It was grand, dramatic and spectacular. After a
year of anxious preparations, President Soeharto officially
opened the 19th SEA Games last night in a stunning ceremony of
moving formality and glittering entertainment.

Putting the administrative difficulties of the last year
behind them, the organizers laid on a Rp 6.5 billion (US$1.7
million), five-hour show bursting with color, friendship and fun
at Senayan Stadium to kick off the region's biennial festival of
sport.

The highlights were many and varied. From the daredevil entry
of 40 skydivers, through the parade of athletes, the hoisting of
the Games flag and the lighting of the flame, the nonstop
activity at times seemed to overwhelm the 100,000 people packed
into the stadium.

After marching bands and the 500-strong Gita Nusa choir had
set the tone of occasion, the 5,898 athletes and officials
marched into the arena in alphabetical order by country.

The Vietnamese women, in brightly colored traditional cotton
shift tunics over trousers, took the fashion plaudits, but the
biggest cheer was kept for the final contingent, the host
Indonesia.

Led by badminton Olympic gold medalist Rexy Mainaky carrying
the red-and-white national flag, the 916 athletes and 458
officials looked smart in white pants, red jackets and red batik
scarves.

Once all the athletes were in place in the center of the
arena, the chairman of the organizing committee, Wismoyo
Arismunandar, reported the roster of 34 events with 438 gold
medals at stake.

He told the President, Vice President Try Sutrisno and the
hundreds of other dignitaries that he hoped the Games would
proceed with "a spirit of unity and honor to improve the standard
of all sports across Southeast Asia".

Soeharto then declared the Games officially open. The moment
was marked by a siren, a 19-gun salute, the release of 1,000 red-
and-white balloons and the appearance of a statue of Hanoman, the
Games mascot.

As he sat down, eight of Indonesia's greatest sporting
veterans bore the Games flag into the arena.

Perry Pantouw, Liem Siaw Bok. Christian Hadinata, Ferry
Moniaga, Verawaty Fadjrin, Leane Suniar (a last-minute
replacement for Carolina Reopassa), Nurfitriana Saiman and
Luciana Taroreh carried the standard of six interlinked gold
rings on a pale blue background halfway round the track.

Their progress was accompanied by an Indonesian youth choir
singing Whitney Houston's hit One Moment in Time.

Eight high school students received it from them and raised it
to the top of the flagstaff.

To a rousing reception, 66-year-old Ferry Sonneville, a former
badminton star and now a successful realtor, carried the SEA
Games torch round the arena to the strains of the Indonesian song
Ikuti dia (Follow Him), arranged jointly by Wismoyo and famous
composer Rinto Harahap.

After being raised on a platform to the top of the cauldron,
he stretched out his right arm and lit the six-meter-tall
cauldron. As he descended, Ruth Sahanaya burst out of the giant
soccer ball at the other end of the arena singing the 19th SEA
Games hymn, The Spirit of The SEA Games.

Ferry told The Jakarta Post after the ceremony: "I was not
nervous beforehand, but it was very touching because Wismoyo had
personally asked me to reflect on the lyrics of the song while I
ran round the arena."

There then followed the athletes and officials oaths, read by
judoist Aprillia Marzuki and volleyball referee Leo Rolex
respectively.

With the formalities over, the entertainment began. In an
hour-long performance that allowed the nation to briefly forget
the economic crisis, forest fires, prolonged dry season, air
crash and other disasters of the last few months, 5,000 high
school students performed 12 traditional dances from across the
archipelago.

As the last dance ended, the ceremony came to a thundering
climax with a brilliant fireworks display over the arena that
cost Rp 400 million ($111,000) and lasted 12 minutes longer than
the three minutes allocated in the program.

Most of the dignitaries left at this point, but the fun
continued for another hour as dangdut singer Elvi Sukaesih and
rap artist Denada entertained the exhausted but exhilarated
crowd.

"I hope that this good start will motivate the athletes in the
following days," said an ebullient Wismoyo after the ceremony.

Athletes looked forward to the start of their events.

"I am very happy to be here and want to retake the title I
lost in Chiang Mai two years ago," said Vietnamese markswoman Thu
ha Trinh, 22.

Softball player Hadi Omar from Brunei Darussalam said: "We
hope to win but Indonesia has a strong team."

Performers were also enthused by the experience.

Ida Bagus, a Jakarta high school student from SMA 60, a
performer in the East Java dance, said: "This is a great
experience and it makes me proud to be part of this ceremony."

The first medals will be won early this morning. The 1,000m
individual kayak will be decided at the Jatiluhur reservoir
shortly after 8 a.m. It will be followed by 22 other medal events
in swimming, fencing, shooting, cycling, canoeing and weight
lifting.

Indonesia expects to take the first gold medal, but will
struggle to stay atop the medal standings by the end of the day
as Thailand and Singapore will probably dominate action in the
pool. (team)