Another feast for the eyes wrapped up the 14th Asian Games yesterday in Busan, South Korea, leaving time to digest the 44 participating countries' sporting achievements.
If it was, as the South Korean organizers claimed, a "new vision of a new Asia" that was presented then the future of the Games is bright enough, though few performances were world class.
China towered above everyone else at the 14th Asian Games in terms of sport, taking 150 gold medals, 54 more than South Korea's 96. Japan came third with 44 and Taiwan was eighth with 10.
PHOTO: AP
Chinese journalists here were crowing, "China takes all and losers stand small." But it didn't look that way earlier in the day, when a battling South Korea beat China in overtime 102-100 at Sajik Stadium.
China's giant Yao Ming may have been a head taller than anyone but he was unable to stop a comeback and surprise win for the home team just an hour-and-a-half before the opening ceremony.
The "Power of Asia" -- the slogan on many T-shirts supporting the home team at the Games -- appears to be balanced by South Korea and Japan in sporting terms. Together they took nearly as many gold medals as China, 140.
At the closing ceremony, South Korea again drew on its "new vision, new Asia" theme and a full house at Busan Asiad Main Stadium was on hand to witness another rich diet of entertainment, pyrotechnics and shows dripping in allusion.
It all looked a bit stagey as athletes were prompted to mug for the cameras as buses bedecked with seagulls, exploding as they went, circled the stadium pitch containing crooning K-pop singers.
The Busan Mayor Ahn Sang-young said the Games would help make Busan one of the world's "top-notch cities" and that it would bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
The president of the Busan Asian Games Organizing Committee, and the Olympic Council of Asia Sheik President Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, spoke of new horizons for Asia.
The real "vision of a new Asia" that South Korea seemed to care about, however, was the participation of North Korea.
"I would also like to mention the extraordinary reunion and now separation of young Koreans from the North and South," Ahn said.
Whether and how soon anything will come of this is another matter.
As far as the Asian Games is concerned, Qatar will take the flame to Doha 2006 and a small performance from a group of Qatari dancers gave a flavor of what this will entail, perhaps.
As for this Games, the lights went down last night at Busan Asiad Main Stadium and the Olympic flame was snuffed out, marking the end of two weeks of competition and the coming together of Asia.
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