December 02, 2006	Saturday	Ziqa'ad 10, 1427

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DOHA, Dec 1: The Asian Games officially opened with a spectacle of pyrotechnics, animatronics and boundless enthusiasm Friday as the people of Doha welcomed their region's biggest ever sporting event.

Some 50,000 spectators traveled to Khalifa Stadium for the opening ceremonies with little incident, despite steady rain that eased off just minutes for the scheduled start.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge was among them, as was Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, head of Qatar's royal family.

For the majority of the more than 10,500 athletes and officials attending these games, the opening ceremony signaled the end of years of preparation and expectation. For the people of Qatar it represented an opportunity to put their small, but wealthy, desert nation in the world's spotlight.

The details of the opening ceremonies, put together by David Atkins, creative director of the Sydney Games opener in 2000, were kept secret leading up to Friday.

''This ceremony, in all seriousness, is far more ambitious and greater in scale and scope than the Sydney ceremony,'' Atkins said this week.

The resulting spectacular appeared to live up to expectations, with the combination of live performance and hi-tech props prompting regular roars and applause in the sold out stadium, which will host the games athletics competition.

Each spectator was given a package of items that enabled them to interact with the performance.

At a cue from the ground announcer, the stadium was transformed into a sea of illuminated orbs, flashing glow sticks, whirling fans or Qatari national flags.

Meanwhile, large sections of the stadium were dominated by black and white, as many of the men came along wearing the traditional white, Arabic ankle-length shirt, or thobe, while great numbers of the women wore the black abaya and scarf.

The physical performance inside the stadium was aided by a giant viewing screen spanning the top of the eastern stand, projecting backdrops and other visual effects.

Hong Kong popstar Jacky Cheung, Indian Bollywood star Sunidhi Chauhan, Lebanese artist Magida El Roumi and Spanish tenor Jose Carreras were among the performers.

Doha, which has announced plans to bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics, wants to make a big impression at this regional event. The opening ceremony made a statement, and the state-of-the-art venues will be put to full use over the next 15 days.

After more than a week of discussions, basketballer Lee Kyu-sup carried the ''unification flag'' ahead of a joint North and South Korean delegation. This was the eighth time the two Koreas, technically still at war, have marched together at the opening of an international sporting events.

Meetings between officials from the North and South about forming a joint Korean team for the Beijing 2008 Olympic continued Friday without any formal resolutions.

Iraq, back in the games after its suspension from the Olympic Council of Asia was revoked, received a loud cheer when its delegation marched into the stand immediately before Japan, one of the biggest delegations here.

The Japanese delegation had a setback when Olympic hammer throw champion Koji Murofushi withdrew because of a leg injury.

The first 17 gold medals at the games will be awarded Saturday, mostly in swimming and shooting.

The Olympic Council of Asia also will hold a general assembly meeting where it is expected to hear pitches from three cities bidding for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Representatives from Pyeongchang, South Korea, and Sochi, Russia, and Salzburg, Austria have announced they will make presentations to the OCA meeting.

International Olympic Committee Jacques Rogge is also in Doha, holding meetings with Asian officials and observing the games.—AP