January 10, 2003	Friday	Ziqa’ad 6, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Jan 9: With just 78 days to go, Islamabad set the clock ticking to mark the start of the final countdown to the 9th SAF Games at a spectacular launch ceremony Thursday evening.

It was all colour, music, lights and fun at the Liaquat Gymnasium where the chairman of the SAF Games Organising Committee (SGOC), Lt. Gen Syed Arif Hasan gave a call to all the “young people” of nations that are a part of the South Asian Sports Federation (SASF).

“In the best Olympic spirit, I call on them to gather here on March 29 and to meet with their fellows from other members of SASF and to compete with them.”

In what was an incredible prelude to the actual opening ceremony of the Games, Thursday’s events were perfectly and professionally executed by the SAF production team.

On show were all the top singers of the country including heart-throb Hadiqa Kiyani, Shahzad Roy, Najam Shiraz, Rahim Shah and others as were the medal-winning sportsmen of last year’s Commonwealth and Asian Games.

In a commendable move, the sportsmen were given cash prizes, handed over to them by the sports minister Rais Munir Ahmed, acting as the chief guest in place of President General Pervez Musharraf, who was said to be unwell.

Also special awards of Rs 100,000 each were announced on behalf of the president for Safeer Khan, Yasir Butt and Amir Atlas, winners of the Junior British Open titles earlier this week. On top of that the trio, who have yet to arrive from Britain, would get Rs 50,000 each from the SAF organisers.

A well-drilled sports medley presented by young boys and girls was well appreciated by the crowd, especially school children who enlivened the show with their cheering and dancing.

The unveiling of the inflated mascots - Bholu, the brown Himalayan bear and Sassi, the blind Indus Dolphin was another striking feature of the evening. Both were chosen for being endangered and to make people realise the plight of the poor animals. An album featuring special SAF songs sung by the top names was also unveiled.

Gen Arif while thanking the delegates, who were here for the SASF meeting that took place earlier in the day, hoped that the 10 days in Islamabad this spring would be a “celebration of life and the triumph of the spirit.”

“We believe that the human spirit must be free - free to rise above circumstances and limitations, free to soar,” he said.

He told the audience how hard his team had worked to ensure that the Games are for the participants a time of excitement and joy.

The icing on the cake, came in the shape of a stunning fireworks display that lit up the Islamabad skies bringing to an end a show that was conducted with assembly-line efficiency and left the spectators longing for more.