This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Aleenf1 (talk | contribs) at 06:14, 21 January 2008 (Undid revision 185809354 by Carl.bunderson (talk) talk what? your reason out of line). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 06:14, 21 January 2008 by Aleenf1 (talk | contribs) (Undid revision 185809354 by Carl.bunderson (talk) talk what? your reason out of line)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The 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 (following Tehran in 1974) to host the games. There were 46 disciplines from 39 events scheduled to be contested.
It was the first time that all 45 member nations of the Olympic Council of Asia took part in this event. Also, Eurosport broadcasted the event, marking the first time that the European continent could watch this Asian sporting event.
The Games were marred by the death of South Korean athlete Kim Hyung-chil.
Medal count
| 2006 Asian Games medal count | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Country | 
|
|
|
Total |
| 1 |  China |
165 | 88 | 63 | 316 |
| 2 |  Korea |
58 | 53 | 82 | 193 |
| 3 |  Japan |
50 | 71 | 77 | 198 |
| 4 |  Kazakhstan |
23 | 20 | 42 | 85 |
| 5 |  Thailand |
13 | 15 | 26 | 54 |
| 6 |  Iran |
11 | 15 | 22 | 48 |
| 7 |  Uzbekistan |
11 | 14 | 15 | 40 |
| 8 |  India |
10 | 17 | 26 | 53 |
| 9 |  Qatar (host) |
9 | 12 | 11 | 32 |
| 10 |  Chinese Taipei |
9 | 10 | 27 | 46 |
| 11 |  Malaysia |
8 | 17 | 17 | 42 |
| 12 |  Singapore |
8 | 7 | 12 | 27 |
| 13 |  Saudi Arabia |
8 | 0 | 6 | 14 |
| 14 |  Bahrain |
7 | 10 | 4 | 21 |
| 15 |  Hong Kong, China |
6 | 12 | 10 | 28 |
| 16 |  DPR Korea |
6 | 9 | 16 | 31 |
| 17 |  Kuwait |
6 | 5 | 2 | 13 |
| 18 |  Philippines |
4 | 6 | 9 | 19 |
| 19 |  Vietnam |
3 | 13 | 7 | 23 |
| 20 |  United Arab Emirates |
3 | 4 | 3 | 10 |
| 21 |  Mongolia |
2 | 5 | 8 | 15 |
| 22 |  Indonesia |
2 | 3 | 15 | 20 |
| 23 |  Syria |
2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
| 24 |  Tajikistan |
2 | 0 | 2 | 4 |
| 25 |  Jordan |
1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| 26 |  Lebanon |
1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| 27 |  Myanmar |
0 | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| 28 |  Kyrgyzstan |
0 | 2 | 6 | 8 |
| 29 |  Iraq |
0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 30 |  Macau, China |
0 | 1 | 6 | 7 |
| 31 |  Pakistan |
0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 32 |  Sri Lanka |
0 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| =33 |  Turkmenistan |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| =33 |  Laos |
0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 35 |  Nepal |
0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| =36 |  Afghanistan |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| =36 |  Bangladesh |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| =36 |  Yemen |
0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 428 | 423 | 542 | 1393 | |
The colour in the number indicate the medal added or stripped by one due to the failure of gender test.
Bidding process
On November 12, 2000, voting for the 2006 venue took place in Busan, South Korea. The voting involved the 41 members of the Olympic Council of Asia and consisted of three rounds, each round eliminating one of the bidding cities. After the first round, New Delhi was eliminated, with only two votes. The second round of voting, with three remaining candidates, gave Doha as the result.
| 2006 Asian Games bidding results | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| City | NOC | Round 1 | Round 2 |
| Doha | Qatar
|
20 | 22 |
| Kuala Lumpur | Malaysia
|
13 | 13 |
| Hong Kong | Hong Kong, China
|
6 | 6 |
| New Delhi | India
|
2 | − |
Under the regulations of the OCA, a candidate which gains half of the available votes will automatically be selected as the host, and the remaining rounds of voting will be cancelled. When Doha gained 22 out of 41 votes this meant they were selected to host the 2006 Asian Games. Most of Qatar's votes came from the unanimous support from West Asian countries.
After the major upset, Malaysia and Hong Kong, China expressed their disappointment. Malaysia said that the selection of Doha was ridiculous and that the selection of Doha was influenced by Qatar's economic wealth.
Torch relay
The torch relay has been integral to the Asian Games since 1958. The plans for the Doha 2006 torch relay were revealed by the Doha Asian Games Organising Committee on January 20, 2006.
The relay itself started on October 8, 2006 with a brief ceremony at the Doha Golf Club "Flame of Hospitality". With the involvement of over 3000 persons, the torch is crossed eight former Asian Games host countries and four Gulf Cooperation Council member states. The first pit stop was in New Delhi on October 11, 2006. In total the relay passed through 13 countries and 23 cities. The relay, which has a distance of 50,000 kilometres in 55 days, is the longest relay in the history of the Asian Games.
Below is a list of places visited by the torch:
- India – New Delhi
- South Korea – Busan
- Philippines – Manila
- Japan – Hiroshima
- People's Republic of China – Beijing, Guangzhou
- Indonesia – Jakarta
- Thailand – Bangkok
- Iran – Mashad, Esfahan, Tehran
Oman – Salalah, Muscat, Sohar- United Arab Emirates – Hatta, Sharjah, Dubai, Abu Dhabi
- Kuwait – Kuwait City
- Bahrain – Manama
The torch travelled back to Doha held by Sheikh Joan Bin Hamad AL-Thani, and the journey around the city itself started on November 25, 2006 and lasted until the opening ceremony of the Games.
Mascot
The Doha Asian Games Organising Committee chose "Orry", a Qatari Oryx, as the official mascot of the 15th Asian Games Doha 2006.
Opening ceremony
Main article: 2006 Asian Games Opening Ceremony
The Opening Ceremony of the Games was described by the media to be one of the most technologically spectacular multi-sports event ceremony, and as the best opening ceremony of any multi-sport event. It was viewed by 50,000 spectators in the Khalifa International Stadium, and famous guests such as the International Olympic Committee's Jacques Rogge, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh and Syrian President Bashar Assad. The opening ceremony was directed by David Atkins, who conducted the 2000 Summer Olympics opener.
The opening ceremony presented the culture of the Arab World as well as other Asian cultures and their histories. Several musical artists performed. The ceremony ended with the lighting of the torch on the Aspire Tower.
Closing ceremony
The closing ceremony featured the Arabic stories of a thousand years ago. It started with the same young boy as the "Seeker" in the opening ceremony. The boy was taken to the world of imagination after he picked up sand and let it slip from his fingers. He then flew to a magical place with a magic carpet. As the stadium became dark, the boy was lowered down to turn a book's ornate pages, and the stories began.
The segment of "A Thousand and One Nights" featured stories like Haroun Al-Raschid and the Dervish, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, Sinbad the Sailor and Aladdin and his Marvellous Lamp. Scheherazade flew across the stadium on a crescent moon. Later she carried the boy, and flew away from the stadium after the stories came to an end. The show also used an array of dancers, horses and special effects to portray the different stories. After that, the segment of "Land of the Oryx" was shown with the whirling of dance.
All 45 nations' athletes soon entered the stadium after the show's end. This time, however, they marched together to show the unity of the Asian Games family. Park Tae-Hwan was announced as the best athlete of the Games, having won seven medals, three of them being golds from the swimming competitions. The ceremony also included a minute of silence in homage to the South Korean equestrian rider Kim Hyung-chil, who died during the competition.
After that, the OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah officially announced the Games closed and passed the OCA flag to the mayor of Guangzhou, Zhang Guangning, as the host of the next Asian Games in 2010.
A special 10 minutes in the final part of the closing ceremony showed a new China, known as "Oriental Charm", which featured the Chinese culture, (including opera, painting and wushu), the dynamic spirit and the Guangzhou background and expressed the hospitality of Chinese people to the world. The closing ceremony concluded with a song by Filipino Broadway star and Tony Awards Best Actress Lea Salonga, who performed "Triumph of the One", a tribute composed by Australian composer Kylie Burtland. Afterwards, the fireworks blazed around the stadium and brought the curtains down on the Games. The ceremony stadium announcers were Trish Bertram and Hussam Akkawi.
Criticism
Despite the spectacular opening ceremony, which received high praise, there was some criticism by some delegations and athletes. Heavy rain poured down just after the end of opening ceremony, and many believed that the organizers did not have plans to deal with it, creating a chaotic situation. Chef de Mission of the Philippines, Butch Ramirez, said that some of the members of the Philippine delegation, including athletes, were soaked in the rain because the organising officials did not allow them to re-enter the covered stadium for shelter; instead they had to stay in the heavy rain for more than 30 minutes. He went on to say that the breakdown in transportation protocols due to the rain caused the athletes to rush to the nearest bus station, exposing them to rain. Ramirez said that he himself was a victim of pushing and shoving due to this chaos, and that because of it, he suffered from an asthma attack.
Malaysian athletes also expressed unhappiness. According to the athletes, the organizing officials allowed only the Qatari team to exit the stadium and held back the other 44 nations inside. Also, the disarrangement of transportation queues meant that they had to wait in the wet and tiring conditions till 02:00, when they were finally sent to the Athletes' Village.
A Japanese journalist said while a few buses and bus stops were prepared around the stadium, the organizers also did not install shelters to protect people waiting in these stations.
There was confusion concerning the many volunteers working the games; many not showing up to their assignments, too many showing up at events or locations where they are not needed, and some complaining that they were being made to do work other than what they previously agreed to do. Many volunteers complained about the lack of transportation needed to take them to their locations, as most are guest workers and have no privately owned vehicles. They were authorized free use of taxis, but they are saying the taxis wer not stopping for them, despite the fact that they have been given vouchers by organizers. After a volunteer briefing/Opening Ceremony rehearsal at Khalifa Stadium one night in mid-November, hundreds of volunteers were stranded as they were unable to find transportation back into the city, most having to walk back.
According to one IOC insider who arrived back at his hotel soaked, this incident could hurt the chances of Doha hosting the 2016 Summer Olympics, which Doha officially applied for on 25 October, 2007; transportation is one of the crucial factors involved in the decision process.
Sports
The sport events contested at the 2006 Asian Games are listed below. Officially there are 46 disciplines from 39 sports in contention. All events listed started after the opening ceremony except Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Football (Soccer), Table tennis, and Volleyball, which had preliminaries before the opening ceremony.
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|
Participating NOCs
Named and arranged after their List of IOC country codes, all 45 OCA members are participating in the Games. The number in parentheses indicates the number of participants that the National Olympic Committee contributed.
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Template:Fnb Chinese Taipei is the official International Olympic Committee designation the Republic of China
Venues
- Al-Arabi Sports Club – Fencing, football (soccer), rugby sevens. table tennis
- Al-Dana Club – Bodybuilding, chess, weightlifting
- Al-Gharrafa Sports Club – Football (soccer), handball
- Al-Khor Road Course – cycling
- Al-Rayyan Sports Club – Baseball, football (soccer), hockey, volleyball, softball
- Al-Sadd Sports Club – Cue sports, football (soccer), sepak takraw, water polo
- ASPIRE Academy for Sports Excellence – gymnastics, badminton, boxing, canoe, kayak, cycling, kabaddi, rhythmic gymnastics, trampoline, wrestling, wushu
- Basketball Indoor Hall – Basketball
- Corniche – Cycling, athletics, triathlon
- Doha Golf Club – Golf
- Doha Racing & Equestrian Club – Equestrian
- Doha Sailing Club – Sailing
- Hamad Aquatic Centre – Diving, swimming, synchronised swimming
- Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex – Soft Tennis, squash, tennis
- Khalifa Stadium – Athletics
- Lusail Shooting Complex – Archery, shooting
- Mesaieed Endurance Course – Equestrian Endurance
- Qatar Bowling Centre – Bowling
- Qatar Sports Club – Football (soccer), judo, karate, taekwondo
- The Sport City – Beach volleyball
- West Bay Lagoon – Rowing
Athlete's death
Tragedy struck the Asian Games when Korean equestrian athlete Kim Hyung-chil died after falling off his horse on the morning of December 7 during the cross country competition which took place in the rain. The accident occurred at jump number eight during the cross-country stage of the three-day eventing competition. After the horse, named Bundaberg Black, rolled over him, he was taken to the hospital, with his death later confirmed by the organizing committee. Kim died shortly before noon Qatar time .
According to South Korea National Olympic Committee president Kim Jung Kil, sources on the course said that the horse mistimed his jump in the wet conditions and slipped. South Korean officials are asking for an inquiry to determine if mismanagement or rain was the cause of the tragedy.
"In my professional opinion, neither the weather nor the footing had any bearing on this accident. If the horse falls, it's like two tons of bricks falling on you. There is nothing you can do about it," said Andy Griffiths, the Games event's technical overseer.
Kim's father was an equestrian athlete for Korea in the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo and the younger Kim won a silver medal at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan on the same horse.
This is the eighth death linked to the 2006 Asian Games, and the first involving an athlete.
Problems
Doping
The list of athletes who failed the doping test during the Games:
- Myanmar's Than Kyi Kyi, the 48 kilogram weightlifter, tested positive for a banned diuretic.
- Oo Mya Sanda, also of Myanmar, silver medalist for 75 kilogram weightlifting, was tested positive for a metabolite.
- Uzbekistan's Elmira Ramileva, the 69 kilogram weightlifter, tested positive for an anabolic steroid.
- Alexander Urinov, also of Uzbekistan, the 105 kilograms weightlifter, tested positive for cannabis.
- Iraq's Saad Faeaz, a bodybuilder, disqualified from the Games after the banned steroid was found in his luggage in Doha International Airport.
Gender test
- India's Santhi Soundarajan, silver medalist for women's 800 metre run, was officially stripped of her medal after she failed a gender test. The news broke in the Indian media on December 17, two days after the official closing of the Asian Games.
Bed shortage
The Games' organizers faced significant bed shortages due to the record number of more than 13,000 athletes and officials who attended the 2006 Games. The Athletes Village had space for only 10,500 people and was not large enough to accommodate the record amount of attendees. To resolve the problem, organizers contracted with three cruise ships to provide sleeping quarters.
Last minute withdrawals
The Football competition lost three teams due to withdrawals and a suspension, which resulted rescheduling of the format and draws. Following the withdrawal of Maldives women's football team in early November, the women's football competition was forced to redraw to ensure both groups had an equal number of teams. Not much later, Turkmenistan announced their withdrawal due to the lack of options available in Qatar. Yemen also withdrew because the team was unable to afford a drug test after some of their players were accused of doping.
India made big changes to its team close to the opening ceremonies. On November 22, 2006, the Indian sports ministry shocked the Games organisers by dropping eight of the 32 events they had previously announced that they would be contesting in the Games. The dropped events were football, basketball, handball, sepak takraw, triathlon, ten-pin bowling and rugby sevens. The events were dropped due to the lack of medal hopes and to cut costs. As a result, only 387 athletes will be sent to Doha instead of the original 589 proposed by the Indian Olympic Association.
Some of the teams in the dropped events are expected to compete despite the removal of government support; the Indian football team has confirmed that they will participate under a "no cost to the government basis", as they did during the 1998 and 2002 Games. The manager of the football team has insisted that the team will participate even without government approval.
The Indian basketball team is definitely out of the games; the men's team failed to show for their match against Bahrain in the first preliminary round and the match was forfeited by the referee. The women's team is also likely to miss the Games.
The IOA has requested to reinstate the sepak takraw and fencing teams, and the request has been accepted by DAGOC. The IOA also attempt to fund the other teams defunded by the government.
While volleyball also had three teams withdrew from the Games, Palestine withdrew due to the travelling difficulties caused by the closure of the Gaza Strip border. Indonesia and Turkmenistan have withdrawn from the tournament, for unknown reasons, just hours before their first preliminary round match.
References
- THE ASIAN GAMES LIVE ON EUROSPORT
- "申辦亞運香港慘敗", Page A1, Apple Daily, November 13, 2000, quoting Dato’ Sieh Kok Chi, Honorary Secretary of the Olympic Council of Malaysia.
- 香港申亚失败心不服, 体育周报, November 13, 2000
- ^ Malaysia Amazed at Losing Asian Games to Qatar
- People's Daily
- Choice of Qatar for Asian Games prompts cries of foul
- ^ Doha Asian Games torch relay route revealed
- Torch ceremony marks countdown to Games
- ^ The 15th Asian Games Doha 2006 Torch Relay Route revealed
- "King of the Mile" Hicham El Guerrouj to Carry the Flame
- Mascot of Asian Games 2006
- Doha Asiad off to spectacular start
- Media fascinated by high-tech at Doha Asiad opening ceremony
- Asian Games open with a festival celebrating the Gulf
- Chinese culture to take spot at closing ceremony of Doha Asiad
- Rains spoil ‘best’ opening ceremony
- But the Malaysians end up wet and unhappy
- Transport woes open for Asiad
- Rain Could Dampen Qatar’s 2016 Bid
- DAGOC mourns rider after fatal fall
- Asian Games: S. Korean rider dies after equestrian accident
- South Korean rider dies in jump fall
- South Korean rider dies in jump fall
- Asian Games roundup: Equestrian rider's death overshadows competition
- Tragedy strikes Games
- Koreans demand probe into death fall
- Asia Games death 'tragic accident'
- South Korean rider dies in jump fall
- Equestrian rider dies at Asian Games
- ^ Fourth weightlifter has positive doping test at Asian Games
- Bodybuilder disqualified from Asian Games after importing banned substances
- Santhi scandal an insult to all Tamils
- Indian athlete fails gender test
- Doha Asian Games faces bed shortage
- Men’s and women’s football draw held
- Turkmenistan soccer team withdraws from Asian Games
- Yemen withdrew following doping concerns - AFC
- Govt cuts jumbo Asian Games squad
- It's official, footballers will have a ball
- We will participate in Asian Games, insists India manager
- Basketballers barred from Doha by own govt
- India returns to compete in sepaktakraw, fencing in Asian games
- Palestine quits men's volleyball event at Doha Asia
External links
- Official Website
- Stagelink - Opening Ceremony backstage & show photos taken in Khalifa Stadium during 2005 and 2006
 Asian Games | ||
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| Summer Games | | |
| Winter Games | ||
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