SEA Games starts with dazzle

SEA Games starts with dazzle

Musthofid, The Jakarta Post, Hanoi, Vietnam

Vietnam proudly welcomed athletes from 10 other nations to the
22nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, its first major international
sports event, here on Friday night.

In the rush to determine the winners of 442 gold medals in 32
sports before the closing ceremony on Dec. 13, six had already
been awarded before Prime Minister Phan Van Khai formally opened
the biennial games. One in billiards was decided soon afterward.

Even as the prime minister addressed some 4,000 athletes at
the opening ceremony in the National Stadium, boxing and chess
events were underway.

Malaysia and the Philippines took one and two golds,
respectively on Friday. Malaysia won the men's archery, while the
Filipinos upset the Malaysians in the women's archery and added
another gold when Warren Kiamco and Lee Vann Corteza beat
Indonesians Muhammad Junarto and Nurdin 9-3 in 9-ball pool
doubles.

Host Vietnam's women's gymnastics team also won gold on
Friday. Meanwhile, Indonesia and Thailand boasted one gold each
before the formal opening.

The waving of red flags at the opening ceremony followed
massive, spontaneous celebrations in Hanoi's streets earlier on
Thursday night, when motorcyclists circled, sporting national
flags, after Vietnam beat Indonesia 1-0 in the soccer and moved
within a victory of the semifinals.

Parachutists carried the flags of all 11 competing nations
over the darkened stadium on Friday night as a dozen spotlights
crisscrossed the breezy sky.

Another flew low over a giant cauldron as the games' flame
flared up. For the lighting ceremony, the prime minister had
accepted the torch before handing it to a horseman in a
traditional costume who completed a lap of the arena.

A standing ovation greeted the tiny delegation from East
Timor, who joined the games for the first time.

Vietnam's leadership troika looked on from the VIP section,
above which hung a giant portrait of Vietnamese Communist Party
founding father Ho Chi Minh -- an ever present figure at every
major event in the country.

In line with the communist nation's passion for slogans, the
regional mini-Olympics have been given the motto "Solidarity,
Cooperation for Peace and Development".

The construction of the US$53 million, 40,000-seat stadium was
completed just three months ago on the outskirts of Hanoi.

Emerging from decades of war and isolation, Vietnam won three
gold medals at the 1989 SEA Games and had boosted its tally to 33
at the 2001 games.

This time around it has set a goal of 100; on the way with
gold in the women's gymnastics, scoring 124.55 points to edge
Singapore by 0.125.

Philippines finished the day with the most gold, one in both
archery and billiards.

Singapore splashed home its first gold from the Aquatics
Center, where it topped the final standings of the water polo
event to leave Thailand and the Philippines with silver and
bronze medals respectively.

Indonesia, which started well, floundered in the remaining
games with two wins, a draw and two losses. It was trounced by
Singapore 4-11 on Friday while Thailand scraped to a narrow 9-7
victory over Philippines.

Suwandi, Febi Widhiyanto, Hendri Pramono and Prima Simpati Aji
gave the Indonesian tennis team a 3-0 victory over the
Philippines in their opening matches. Vietnam, Thailand and
Malaysia also chalked up a 3-0 win each over their respective
opponents.

Still in Ho Chi Minh City, Indonesia's hopes for gold in chess
were dashed after Utut Adianto and Irwanto Sadikin failed to
march to the semifinals.

While Irwanto's defeat to Vietnamese Dao Thian Hai was
expected, it was an unanticipated loss for Indonesia's number one
Utut, who tumbled 2-3 to unknown Goh Koonjong Jason of Singapore.