15th Asian Games DOHA-2006 (Discussion, Photos, Events) PART 2

[amrja]

Qatarson - again, I didn't mean any offense, just a suggestion.

I'm supposed to, but the problem is i'm also going to the football final, which means after its done I have around an hour to leave Al Sadd, find a parking, walk in and find my seat. While that may sound simple, when I went to the opening ceremony it took me at least an hour to park, walk, etc, and I had gone 2 hours early.

BTW guys, they did change the venue to Al Sadd, right? That's what they wrote on the Doha 2006 website, but they didn't send any messages out like last time or anything. (I'm talking about the football final here)

[Qatar Son 333]

yes they did send messeges to the football final amrja i think whene you leave the stadium they will close the doors to kalifa stadium becase i think they have to close the door an hour before the cermony remmember i think

[suzan]

THE FIREWORKS ARE UNBELIEVABLLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pearl of the Gulf]

Well done guys you all should be very proud of the achievement Qatar just accomplished. I watched the games from the opening ceremony till the final moments tonight; I don’t think the games could have been organized any better. I even think the Chinese delegate was a bit nervous because you guys set the bar so high. lol The aljazeera channels broadcasting the event did an excellent job of covering the games and giving a daily round up. I hope Qatar makes the most out of the facilities generated for the event and gain an impressive sports pedigree in the future. Once again well done.

[imran02feb79]

(AFP)

16 December 2006



DOHA - Sinbad the Sailor, 900 child genies and Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves came to the Khalifa Stadium on Friday when Qatar staged a spectacular ceremony to mark the end of the Asian Games.


It drew the curtain on the 15-day multi-sports event, which China dominated.

The two-hour extravaganza was themed around the famous Middle Eastern tale Arabian Nights, but the atmosphere was more of a giant party as athletes, spectators and organisers celebrated the success of the Games.

Among the stories told was Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves with their giant caravans and several hundred colourful jugglers, arcobats and whirling dancers.

Smoke filled the arena and a giant 3D genie appeared to tell another story of Aladdin and his lamp which “magically” makes 900 children dressed as genies carrying lanterns appear and form a 12-pointed star.

The ceremony climaxed with a fireworks display, sparking wild applause.

There was double reason to celebrate with Qatar winning football gold just hours before the ceremony, defeating Iraq for the final title of the Games, bringing wild party scenes from the partisan crowd filling the stadium.

Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah, president of the Olympic Council of Asia, told an estimated global television audience of three billion and another 55,000 packed in the stadium that the 15th Games had been a tremendous success.

He also thanked the thousands of athletes, who earlier marched together into the arena, from 45 countries who competed in 39 sports.

South Korean schoolboy swimmer Park Tae-Hwan was then announced as the most valuable player of the Games.

The shy 17-year-old upstaged rivals China and Japan battling for supremacy in the pool by winning three golds, a silver and three bronze medals.

Al Sabah declared the Games closed, handing the Olympic Council of Asia flag to the mayor of Guangzhou city in southern China, the hosts of the next Games in 2010 who then staged their own mini cultural performance.

“May the youth of Asia ever celebrate the Asian Games in the spirit of brotherhood and for the good of humanity,” he said.

The ceremony was another success for Australian artistic director David Atkins and his team who received praise for their three-hour opening ceremony on December 1.

Atkins was also responsible for the opening and closing ceremonies at the Sydney Olympics.


http://www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayA...ecember680.xml

[amrja]

That... was... amazing! I ended up going to both the game and the closing ceremonies, both didn't disappoint! My seat was amazing, it was near the top above the VIP stand, so I had an excellent view - I seriously think this was better than the opening. I love how it was all Arab-themed, it was spectacular.

As for the game - the atmosphere in Al Sadd was amazing as well, and all I have to say is MABROOK QATAR! El 3enabi got it, and they deserved it.

[vince_rilian]

greetings!

i wasnt able to watch the live feed of the closing ceremonies, i'm watching its rerun/replay right now... i caught up at the part where there was a woman singing on a crescent moon... at what part of the closing ceremony was that? did i miss a lot? or was that just the opening part? hehehe

[Qatar Son 333]

yep you missed the part whene they turn the flame off unlucky you THE FIRE WORK WAS THE COOLEST EVER !!!!!

[omarmakki]

I watched the rerun yesterday after I finished studying at about 2 am...
Frankly, it was SPECTACULAR!! It was just way too awesome that I forget I had an exam the next morning!! lol!

@vince_rilian
That woman singing on the crescent (Shahrazad) was up there for a long time and sang a few times. Try to be more specific. I mean, what happened after she sang?

[vince_rilian]

hehe, i think @qatar son was right, i only missed the part where the cauldron/asian games flame was extinguised, but its weird that the flame was extinguished before the games was officially closed... (i watched from the beginning of the story:alibaba, etc...)

glad to see Lea Salonga sing the last live song for the closing ceremonies, the last live song for the doha 2006 asian games!

anyway, the fireworks were great, given that i am a pyrotechnics fanatic (yup, i know how to make them.....) i was stunned to see one particularly new effect (well, it seemed new to me, hehehe, but it might have been in use a long time ago). there were pyrotechnic shells (but probably not really pyrotechnic shells...) that continuously spew out stars while suspended in mid-air, great! amazing!

IMHO, i really think that doha 2006 is the best ever, most likely that guangzhou will not beat it, hehehe, look at the guangzhou website, its not even half as appealing of www.doha-2006.com! (not even 1/8 as appealing of www.doha-2006.com!?) hehe, the opening and closing ceremonies was well done as both were able to capture asia as a whole, which pusan/busan failed to do, but we'll see guangzhou...

[Qatar Son 333]

no you missec more than that you also missed the boy going on the magic carpet then he lighted his torch and the flame was not egstinguwished it just turned off ..... yada yada yada

[suzan]

Flickr:

[Qatar Son 333]

do you happen to have more fireworks pics ?

[suzan]

I found those pics in www.flickr.com
Why dont you check?
Write either Doha or Qatar
and u will get pics!

[vince_rilian]

Originally Posted by qatar son 333

no you missec more than that you also missed the boy going on the magic carpet then he lighted his torch and the flame was not egstinguwished it just turned off ..... yada yada yada

fire/flame was extinguished = fire/flame was turned off

[Qatar Son 333]

yes but whene you say extinguished it reminds me of that white powder inside the tank thats used in fires and in kalifa stadium there was no powder

[QatPhils]

Originally Posted by qatar son 333

do you happen to have more fireworks pics ?

How about a full video of the fireworks

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWbhCfou184

[Qatar Son 333]

yepeee thanks a dozen cosin

[vince_rilian]

Originally Posted by qatar son 333

yes but whene you say extinguished it reminds me of that white powder inside the tank thats used in fires and in kalifa stadium there was no powder

thats a different extinguish... its for firefighting, hence the name fire extinguisher... hehehe

[vince_rilian]

compiled this one from youtube videos...

TOGETHER NOW Lyrics
Jacky Cheung
(NOTE: "Var" denotes variation as performed by Jacky Cheung at the opening ceremonies of the Asian Games Doha 2006.)


Can you hear it, hear the sound?
The sound of thunder rolling in
A thousand drummers on a breath of wind

The sound of footsteps beating down
Coming closer, nearer now
The tribes that gather like a storm accross the sky

With banners flying in the sun
The colours bleeding into one
Step by step, one by one, we come
Together now!

Can you feel it, the kiss of wind?
The wind of change that fans the flame
The flame that lights up like a storm against the sky

With banners flying in the sun
The colours bleeding into one
Step by step, one by one, we come
Together now!

Accross the seas and dessert sands
The people reaching out their hands
Step by step, one by one, we come
Together now!

Step by step, one by one, we come
Together now!

Now that the time has come
This moment in the sun
(A) new day breaks with the dawn
Accross an ancient land

Can you feel it, the kiss of wind? (Var: Can you hear it, hear the sound?)
The wind of change that fans the flame (Var: Can you feel it, feel the flame?)
The flame that lights up like a storm against the sky

With banners flying in the sun
The colours bleeding into one
Step by step, one by one, we come
Together now!

Accross the seas and dessert sands
The people reaching out their hands (Var: A nation reaches out its hands)
Step by step, one by one, we come
Together now!

Step by step, one by one, we come
Together now!

Step by step, one by one, we come
Together now!....