Pomp and splendour at opening ceremony
KUALA LUMPUR: It was electrifying! The rain was no damper to the official launch of the 12th SEA Games as tens of thousands of people filled up the seats at the newly-refurbished National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, giving their support to the Malaysian athletes and those from the other 10 countries.
This year’s Games is the third hosted by Malaysia. The previous ones were in 1989 and 2001.
The show began with performances from seven schools nationwide and ended with the Malaysian Armed Forces marching band.
The men in uniform serenaded the crowd with the song Gemuruh Jiwa by Faizal Tahir, prompting the audience to sing along.
A team of 10 performers, wearing mascot Rimau’s outfit came on stage with martial arts movements – and the crowd went wild.
The pre-show event ended with a performance by entertainer Datuk Aznil Nawawi with LED-lit cars forming a circle around the stadium.
The rain, which began at 6.30pm, prompted people outside the stadium to seek shelter. But, many more started coming in from the Bukit Jalil LRT station.
The event began with the arrival of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Muhammad V at 8.20pm. He was accompanied by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak, his wife Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi.
After Negaraku was sung, 320 Malaysian flags, representing the nation’s population of 32 million were brought in, followed by those of the 11 participating countries, along with the SEA Games federation and Games edition flags.
Rimau also made a dramatic entrance on a harness.
Athletes from the South-East Asian countries then made their way inside the stadium, with Brunei taking the lead, followed by Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste and Vietnam.
The loudest cheers were reserved for the Malaysian team, which came in with 888 members, led by Chief de mission and multiple gold medalist Datuk Marina Chin.
The flag bearers were three world champions – Azizulhasni Awang, a bronze medallist and a world champion of cycling and keirin; diving queen Cheong Jun Hoong, who won the silver medallist at the Rio Olympics and Mohd Al-Jufferi Jamari, the silat world champion.
LED lights bearing the nation’s name were displayed around the stadium.
Songstress Dayang Nurfaiza, in a white jumpsuit and a silver scarf, entertained the crowd.
The nation’s sports legends from the 1980 Olympic football team - Datuk James Wong, Datuk Shukor Salleh and Datuk Santokh Singh, and other sportsmen and sportswomen carried in the federation and Games edition flags.
There was a sense of pride as their achievements were shown on screens.
A short video on the local athletes who will be competing was also shown, with Najib also making an appearance in it.
Sultan Muhammad V then officially declared the 29th SEA Games open.
This was followed by a dazzling cultural show, followed by the passing of the torch by sports personalities from various sporting fields, such as bowling, hockey, athletics, badminton and diving in the arena.
As they brought in their torches, the main stage was lit with star-like constellations, shaped in the sports they represented.
The finale came when a huge torch replica was lit. The ceremony ended with the rendition of Negaraku.