2011 Asian Winter Games opening ceremony
Encyclopedia
The opening ceremony of the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at the Astana Arena, in Astana
, Kazakhstan
. It began at 6:00 PM (UTC+06:00) on 30 January 2011 and lasted approximetly three hours.
An estimated 30,000 were in attendance at the venue. There were an estimated 700 performers.
Below is list of countries that are confirmed to compete and their national flagbearers during the ceremony.
All the countries were given warm receptions by the crowd, however a deafening welcoming roar was given to the home team.
*During the Opening Ceremony Lebanon was announced to the crowd and a Placard bearer came out, but was followed by no members of the delegation.
** Indonesia had no athletes competing, rather officials participating.
singing her new song "Always".
Also included in the cultural show was the history of Kazakhstan, with a bird’s eye view from an eagle swooping over the vast plains. With dance, song and distinctive musical instruments, the props came to life – notably when water cascaded from the top of the set and lighting transformed the stage into a rough sea to rock the boat looking for new lands.
Also, "The gift packs for the visitors inside the 30,000-seat indoor football stadium included a bag of four snowball-size white sponge balls. Taking their lead from a band of tiny-tot performers dressed as flowers towards the end of the cultural show, the audience opened their packet of “snowballs” and proceeded to pelt anyone and everyone in sight"
.
This was followed by president of the Olympic council of Asia Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah also giving a welcoming speech. "Kazakhstan is a very respectful member of the international sport community. The Olympic Council of Asia congratulates President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Government of Kazakhstan, mayors and people of Astana and Almaty".
The games were then officially opened by the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev
.
This followed by Korean oprea singer Sumi Jo singing "Angels Pass Away".
Finally, another barrage of fireworks that lit up the night sky of the Kazakhstan capital to close the show.
Astana
Astana , formerly known as Akmola , Tselinograd and Akmolinsk , is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708,794 as of 1 August 2010...
, Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. It began at 6:00 PM (UTC+06:00) on 30 January 2011 and lasted approximetly three hours.
An estimated 30,000 were in attendance at the venue. There were an estimated 700 performers.
Guests
- Faisal bin Al Hussein - Prince of JordanJordanJordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
- Mohammed bin Zayed Al NahyanMohammed bin Zayed Al NahyanMohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan is the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces .-Political and business career:...
- Crown PrinceCrown PrinceA crown prince or crown princess is the heir or heiress apparent to the throne in a royal or imperial monarchy. The wife of a crown prince is also titled crown princess....
of Abu DhabiAbu DhabiAbu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western... - Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-SabahAhmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-SabahSheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah is a Kuwaiti politician and current president of Olympic Council of Asia and also a member of the International Olympic Committee. Al-Sabah was educated at Kuwait University and the Kuwait Military Academy, and attained the rank of major in the Kuwaiti Army...
- Current IOC member representing KuwaitKuwaitThe State of Kuwait is a sovereign Arab state situated in the north-east of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south at Khafji, and Iraq to the north at Basra. It lies on the north-western shore of the Persian Gulf. The name Kuwait is derived from the...
and president of the Olympic Council of AsiaOlympic Council of AsiaThe Olympic Council of Asia is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. The current president is Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah. The oldest NOC is from Japan and Philippines, recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1911; whereas East Timor is... - Nursultan NazarbayevNursultan NazarbayevNursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the nation received its independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union...
- President of KazakhstanKazakhstanKazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe... - Jacques RoggeJacques RoggeJacques Rogge, Count Rogge , is a Belgian sports bureaucrat. He is the eighth and current President of the International Olympic Committee .-Life and career:...
- President of the International Olympic CommitteeInternational Olympic CommitteeThe International Olympic Committee is an international corporation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, created by Pierre de Coubertin on 23 June 1894 with Demetrios Vikelas as its first president... - Roza OtunbayevaRoza OtunbayevaRoza Isakovna Otunbayeva is a Kyrgyz diplomat and politican who served as the President of Kyrgyzstan from 7 April 2010 until 1 December 2011. She was sworn in on July 3, 2010, after acting as interim leader following the 2010 April revolution which led to the ousting of then President Kurmanbek...
- President of KyrgyzstanKyrgyzstanKyrgyzstan , officially the Kyrgyz Republic is one of the world's six independent Turkic states . Located in Central Asia, landlocked and mountainous, Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the southwest and China to the east... - René FaselRené FaselRené Fasel DMD is a Swiss dentist and ice hockey official. He started his ice hockey career as a player for HC Fribourg-Gottéron, in 1960, and became a referee in 1972 and president of Switzerland's ice hockey federation in 1985. In 1994 he was elected president of the International Ice Hockey...
- President of the International Ice Hockey FederationInternational Ice Hockey FederationThe International Ice Hockey Federation is the worldwide governing body for ice hockey and in-line hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 70 members... - Imangali TasmagambetovImangali TasmagambetovImangali Nurgaliuly Tasmagambetov is the current mayor of Astana, Kazakhstan. From December 2004-April 2008 he served as the mayor of Almaty...
- Current mayor of AstanaAstanaAstana , formerly known as Akmola , Tselinograd and Akmolinsk , is the capital and second largest city of Kazakhstan, with an officially estimated population of 708,794 as of 1 August 2010... - Alexander ZhukovAlexander ZhukovAlexander Dmitriyevich Zhukov is a Russian economist and politician, member of the State Duma . He is the Deputy Prime Minister of the Russian Federation since 9 March 2004.-Family:...
- Deputy Prime Minister of Russia and President of the Russian Olympic Committee
Opening section
A dramatised performance based on traditional Kazakh epic poems accompanied by a group of ethnic drummers, which was followed by a volley of red fireworks began the show.National anthem
Members of the Kazakhstan army marched the Kazakh flag to the flagpost. The anthem was then sung by Azamat Zheltyrguzov while the flag was risen.Parade of Nations
According to the Olympic Council of Asia's protocols, countries will march in order of their IOC Code.Below is list of countries that are confirmed to compete and their national flagbearers during the ceremony.
All the countries were given warm receptions by the crowd, however a deafening welcoming roar was given to the home team.
| Order | Nation | Flagbearer | Sport |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unknown | Chef De Mission | |
| 2 | Ice hockey Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held in Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan from 28 January to 6 February.For these games, the men were competing in a 14-team tournament, and the women in a 5-team tournament... |
||
| 3 | |||
| 4 | Ri Song Chol Ri Song Chol Ri Song Chol is a North Korean figure skater. He is the 2003, 2007, 2008, and 2009 North Korean national champion.-Competitive highlights:-References:... |
Figure skating Figure skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Figure skating was featured as part of the 2011 Asian Winter Games at the Alatau Sports Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan. Events were held on between the third and fifth of February 2011... |
|
| 5 | Wang Xinyue | Short track speed skating Short track speed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Short track speed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Republican Cycling Track in Astana, Kazakhstan. The eight events were scheduled for January 31– February 2, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Heats:-Semifinals:-Finals:... |
|
| 6 | Tashi Lundup Tashi Lundup Tashi Lundup is an Indian cross country skier who has competed since 2005. He was born in Ladakh in India on October 5, 1984... |
Cross country skiing Cross-country skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Cross-country skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Biathlon/Cross-Country Ski Complex in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The twelve events were scheduled for January 31 – February 6, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Qualification:-Semifinals:... |
|
| 7 | ** | Unknown | Official |
| 8 | Alidad Saveh-Shemshaki | Alpine skiing coach | |
| 9 | |||
| 10 | |||
| 11 | Park Woo-sang Park Woo-sang Park Woo-sang is a Korean professional ice hockey center. He played for the South Korean national team at the 2007 Asian Winter Games, and scored 4 goals. He played three seasons for Anyang Halla of ALIH. In November 1, 2011 Park signed 1-yeal deal with Coventry Blaze of EIHL... |
Ice hockey Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held in Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan from 28 January to 6 February.For these games, the men were competing in a 14-team tournament, and the women in a 5-team tournament... |
|
| 12 | |||
| 13 | No Flag bearer* | - | |
| 14 | Haniff Mahmood | Ice hockey Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held in Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan from 28 January to 6 February.For these games, the men were competing in a 14-team tournament, and the women in a 5-team tournament... |
|
| 15 | |||
| 16 | Unknown | Official | |
| 17 | Mohammed El Batta | Alpine skiing Alpine skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Alpine skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Shymbulak Alpine Sport Resort in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The six events were scheduled for January 31– February 4, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Super-G:February 1-Downhill:January 31... |
|
| 18 | Zhaira Costiniano Zhaira Costiniano Zhaira Costiniano is a Filipino figure skater. She is the 2009 junior ladies Philippine national champion and the 2010 senior ladies Philippine national champion. She has been named being in the top ten Asian American Sports figures.Zhaira became the youngest lady to win the Philippine senior... |
Figure skating Figure skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Figure skating was featured as part of the 2011 Asian Winter Games at the Alatau Sports Palace in Astana, Kazakhstan. Events were held on between the third and fifth of February 2011... |
|
| 19 | Thamer Al-Mohannadi | Speed skating Speed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Speed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Indoor Speed Skating Stadium in Astana, Kazakhstan. The twelve events were scheduled for January 31– February 6, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-500 m:February 1-1500 m:February 4-5000 m:... |
|
| 20 | Lucas Ng | Short track speed skating Short track speed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Short track speed skating at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Republican Cycling Track in Astana, Kazakhstan. The eight events were scheduled for January 31– February 2, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Heats:-Semifinals:-Finals:... |
|
| 21 | |||
| 22 | Alpine skiing Alpine skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Alpine skiing at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held at Shymbulak Alpine Sport Resort in Almaty, Kazakhstan. The six events were scheduled for January 31– February 4, 2011.-Medal table:-Men:-Women:-Super-G:February 1-Downhill:January 31... |
||
| 23 | Ice hockey Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held in Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan from 28 January to 6 February.For these games, the men were competing in a 14-team tournament, and the women in a 5-team tournament... |
||
| 24 | Ice hockey Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held in Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan from 28 January to 6 February.For these games, the men were competing in a 14-team tournament, and the women in a 5-team tournament... |
||
| 25 | |||
| 26 | Ice hockey Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games Ice hockey at the 2011 Asian Winter Games was held in Astana and Almaty in Kazakhstan from 28 January to 6 February.For these games, the men were competing in a 14-team tournament, and the women in a 5-team tournament... |
||
| 27 |
*During the Opening Ceremony Lebanon was announced to the crowd and a Placard bearer came out, but was followed by no members of the delegation.
** Indonesia had no athletes competing, rather officials participating.
Cultural Program
Kazakh opera diva Nurzhamal Usenbaeva then performed a song specially composed for the Games opening an impressive show that involved more than than 700 actors and dancers including Belgian singer Lara FabianLara Fabian
Lara Fabian is a Belgian-Italian international singer who also holds Canadian citizenship. Multilingual, she sings in French, Italian and English....
singing her new song "Always".
Also included in the cultural show was the history of Kazakhstan, with a bird’s eye view from an eagle swooping over the vast plains. With dance, song and distinctive musical instruments, the props came to life – notably when water cascaded from the top of the set and lighting transformed the stage into a rough sea to rock the boat looking for new lands.
Also, "The gift packs for the visitors inside the 30,000-seat indoor football stadium included a bag of four snowball-size white sponge balls. Taking their lead from a band of tiny-tot performers dressed as flowers towards the end of the cultural show, the audience opened their packet of “snowballs” and proceeded to pelt anyone and everyone in sight"
Entry of the Olympic Council of Asia Flag
6 famous athletes and coachs carried the flag. They were:- Hwan Mai - Coach
- Serik KonakbayevSerik KonakbayevSerik Kerimbekovich Konakbaev is a retired Kazakh boxer, who represented the USSR at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow, Soviet Union. There he won the silver medal in the light welterweight division , after being defeated in the final by Patrizio Oliva of Italy...
- Former Olympic silver medalist in boxing for the USSR at the 1980 Summer Olympics1980 Summer OlympicsThe 1980 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Moscow in the Soviet Union. In addition, the yachting events were held in Tallinn, and some of the preliminary matches and the quarter-finals of the football tournament...
. - Kenzhe Sarsekenova - Coach
- Lyudmila ProkashevaLyudmila ProkashevaLyudmila Prokasheva is a former speed skater. Representing Kazakhstan, she won an Olympic bronze medal in the 1998 5000 metres. In 1995, she won a silver medal in the World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Women.-External links:*...
- Former Olympic bronze medalist speed skater for Kazakhstan at the 1998 Winter Olympics1998 Winter OlympicsThe 1998 Winter Olympics, officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games, was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 in Nagano, Japan. Seventy-two nations and 2,176 participans contested in seven sports and 72 events at 15 venues. The games saw the introduction of Women's ice...
. - Vladimir SmirnovVladimir Smirnov (skier)Vladimir Mikhaylovich Smirnov is an Kazakhstani former cross-country skier who raced from the mid-1980s until 1988 for the USSR and, later, for his native country...
- Former multiple Olympic medalist cross-country skier for KazakhstanKazakhstanKazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
and the USSR. - Aliya YussupovaAliya YussupovaAliya Yussupova is an individual Rhythmic Gymnast of Kazakh ethnicity, who competes for Kazakhstan, coached by the Russian coach, Irina Viner.At the 2004 Athens Olympics she qualified for the finals in 5th...
- Multiple gold medalist rhythmic gymnast at the 2006 Asian Games2006 Asian GamesThe 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, is Asia's Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia to host the games...
.
Oaths
The athletes and jury pronounced solemn oaths before the banner of the Olympic Council of AsiaOlympic Council of Asia
The Olympic Council of Asia is a governing body of sports in Asia, currently with 45 member National Olympic Committees. The current president is Sheikh Fahad Al-Sabah. The oldest NOC is from Japan and Philippines, recognized by the International Olympic Committee in 1911; whereas East Timor is...
.
Opening remarks/Official Opening
The mayor of Astana Imangali Tasmagambetov gave a speech. "The Asiad is being held by Kazakhstan due to the initiative of President Nursultan Nazarbayev. The victory of an athlete is the victory of the country".This was followed by president of the Olympic council of Asia Ahmed Al-Fahad Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah also giving a welcoming speech. "Kazakhstan is a very respectful member of the international sport community. The Olympic Council of Asia congratulates President Nursultan Nazarbayev, the Government of Kazakhstan, mayors and people of Astana and Almaty".
The games were then officially opened by the president of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Nazarbayev
Nursultan Abishuly Nazarbayev has served as the President of Kazakhstan since the nation received its independence in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union...
.
Lighting of the Cauldron
The Olympic torch relay, which had criss-crossed the country during January, arrived at its final destination at the Astana Arena, with a group of the country's most decorated sports veterans jointly lighting the Games flame.This followed by Korean oprea singer Sumi Jo singing "Angels Pass Away".
Finally, another barrage of fireworks that lit up the night sky of the Kazakhstan capital to close the show.