President’s biker stunt kick-starts Games
JAKARTA: walked up to the elevator that took him right to the enclosure where dignitaries from a comity of nations welcomed him with open arms. Those witnessing the ‘stunt’ were left in awe as from beneath the helmet emerged Joko Widodo, the President of Indonesia, who started greeting the dig- nitaries with the warmth of a true Jakarta denizen. In true traditional style, the ceremony began with each participating country being escorted by ceremonial girls dressed like a ‘Garuda’, which is the national emblem of the country.
The event might not have been as colossal in scale as the 2010 edition in Guangzhou, where the venue for the opening ceremony was not a stadium, but a river. But then that was China. And this is Indonesia, still coming to grips with the changing socio-economic environment around them.
UNIFIED KOREA MARCH
The cheering spectators welcomed the 44 nations, reserving the maximum applause for the Unified Korea contingent. The stadium reverberated with the sound of ’Korea, Korea’ as spectators, many in tears after witnessing the historic moment, let their unbridled emotion flow.
His perfectly coiffed hair in place, Neeraj Chopra led the Indian contingent with the Tricolour firmly in his grip. That grip will also be key to his — and India’s aspirations — of winning gold for the first time in the history of the Asian Games in javelin throw.