National swimmer Anderson Lim
Chee Wei (2nd R) leading the
national contingent out
during yesterday's 4th Asian
Indoor & Martial Arts Games
opening ceremony at the Samsan
World Gymnasium in Incheon,
South Korea.Picture: Courtesy
of Suwannaphan Pichef
The 4th Asian Indoor & Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) officially got rolling yesterday in a spellbinding hi-tech display of light and sound.
South Korea Prime Minister Jung Hong-won, declared the regional meet open at the Samsan World Gymnasium after a show filled with holographs depicting nature, space and the Incheon landscape took center stage in a state-of-the-art production.
One of the reasons AIMAG is being held is to prepare Incheon for hosting the 17th Asian Games next September, and it will take a lot to beat last night's opening ceremony.
Other notable highlights were cultural and dance performances by students, dance crews and Incheon residents before the athlete parade and speeches by 2014 Incheon Games Organising Committee president Kim Youngsoo and Olympic Council of Asia president Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah.
The spirited ceremony concluded with the lighting of the AIMAG torch and a performance by a K-pop band which got the athletes' camera phones out and their legs tapping.
"I liked the cultural performances but the concert's the best part of the show," agreed national swimmer Anderson Lim Chee Wei, who was the country's nine-member contingent flag-bearer.
"I found out that I'd be the flag-bearer before leaving at the Brunei International Airport on Wednesday, and I'm really proud," added Lim, who was also the country's flag-bearer at the closing ceremony of the 2012 London Olympics.
Lim became the first Bruneian to swim at an Olympics when he competed last year, but all memories of past achievements will have to be put aside as the athletes gear up for action here.
Cueist Ahmad Taufiq Murni has got a bye into today's second round of the men's 9-ball pool singles, though it's still do-or-die in the single knockout format competition.
Chess player Yee Soon Wei will also start his campaign in the men's classical event today while Lim's tournament starts tomorrow with the 100m butterfly heats, followed by the 200m freestyle heats on Tuesday and 100m freestyle heats on Wednesday.
