The 14th Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, ended on a high note despite discord that threatened to mar the sporting festival.
Judging decisions, poorly trained volunteers and a lack of translators, transport difficulties and sluggish ticket sales all threatened to undo the good work that had been done by the organizers.
But there are always criticisms that can be made of any event. Even the Sydney Olympics in 2000 and the recent World Cup -- generally agreed to be among the best of their kind -- got some bad press.
PHOTO: JULES QUARTLY, TAIPEI TIMES
It is the media's job to find and expose weaknesses and in this way, perhaps, lessons may be learned and improvements made for next time.
But this should not detract from the fact this was the biggest Asiad ever and the first to involve all 44 Olympic Council of Asia countries.
Twenty-two world records were broken in swimming, weightlifting and shooting, with 43 new Asian Games records in all disciplines.
The standard of sporting excellence in Asia is demonstrably improving and many athletes leaving for home said the Asian Games spurred them to greater heights.
Kuwaiti karate coach Bahrami Mohammad said he had been to three Games and was quoted as saying by the Busan Asiad newspaper, "I love the competition. Each time it gets better and better -- this one being the best. Seeing [the weightlifters] break world records is proof that the Asian Games are at a high level."
Part of the reason for this is the participation of China, which won 150 gold medals, or over 33 percent, of the total 427 available. It not only proved it was the leader of sports regionally but also showed it was a worldwide pacesetter.
China distinguished itself in almost all events and showed that it had cast aside its reputation for doping, with not one of its athletes testing positive for a banned substance.
Despite cries of foul play, South Korea's achievements in the sporting arena should not be underestimated. This nation of 48 million has consistently done well in competitions wherever they have been held.
Its 96 medals at this Asian Games were more than double Japan's haul, though the latter has three times the population and is the world's second biggest economic power.
Arguments over whether South Korea won all its gold medals fairly should not disguise the fact that its sports industry is among the finest in the world and other countries should take note. Contrast its achievements with India, whose population of over a billion won just 11 gold medals.
More than 10,000 athletes and officials, well over 6,000 journalists and many thousands of supporters and tourists congregated in Busan during the two weeks of the Asian Games.
Their impressions of the city are positive. Busan opened its port to the region and will benefit from increased trade and links. Again, other countries would do well to learn from this example.
Trillions of won were spent on infrastructure in Busan and now these stadiums and gymnasiums, new transport links and media centers are a legacy for its population.
Over 13,000 volunteers were tapped to help run the Games and this will help forge a sense of identity and unity for years to come. For once, South Korea's second city stepped out of Seoul's giant shadow.
Busan achieved what it set out to do, which was to become a hub of some kind for Asia. It has raised its profile and showed that it has got what it takes. This fact was not lost on IOC President Jacques Rogge, who visited Busan for the closing ceremony and will assess the city's bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics.
Finally, and most importantly, as far as South Korea was concerned, was its successful hosting of the North Korean delegation to the Games.
The fact North Korea came at all was significant but the way it was welcomed and the symbolism of marching together, hand in hand with South Korea, at the opening ceremony was an obvious sign of warming to both country's populations.
For the first time, the North Korean national flag was raised and its anthem played in the South. On the street it was clear that South Koreans now anticipate a union and expect to pay for it.
The North Korean cheerleading squad starred at the Asiad and yesterday thousands gathered at Taedaepo International Terminal to wave them goodbye.
A traditional song was sung the previous night by both sides at a farewell concert and We'll meet again could well be the abiding sentiment of the Asian Games for the host nation and its kin across the militarized border.
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