Thousands attend Arafura closing

DARWIN, Australia (JP): Thousands of athletes, referees and members of the organizing committee crowded the beach at MGM Grand last night to attend the games closing party.

Steve Hatton, minister of sport and recreation, made a speech, officially closing the eight-day Arafura Games.

Though many people at the event found the MGM Grand's casino more interesting, some stayed on to enjoy the traditional Papua New Guinean music and dance.

Missing was the spectacular attraction of the opening ceremony a week ago. There were no parades at the closing ceremony.

Last night's party was held to promote friendship between the participants. The organizers successfully reached the goal.

Host Australia, which fielded teams from its six states, two territories and armed forces, dominated the 26 sports events by scooping 135 golds, 128 silvers and 136 bronzes.

Malaysia, which sent six delegates, came second with 35 golds, 32 silvers and 32 bronzes.

Indonesia, which is preparing its team for the SEA Games in Jakarta in October, came third with 30 golds, 21 silvers and 17 bronzes.

Chinese Taipei finished fourth with 23 golds, 11 silvers and nine bronzes, and Hong Kong came fifth with 11 golds, 11 silvers and 13 bronzes.

Five thousand athletes and officials participated in the biennial event, in which 41 teams from 22 countries competed. It was the largest number of participants since the first event in 1991.

Australia had the biggest contingent of 11 teams, followed by Malaysia with six teams, China with three teams and the Philippines with two teams.

Other countries -- Indonesia, Chinese Taipei, Hong Kong, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Vietnam, Thailand, the United States of America (Guam), Northern Mariana Islands, New Zealand, Brunei Darussalam, Pacific Oceania, Japan, Tahiti, South Africa, Macau, Singapore and Nauru -- were only represented by one team. (yan)