2008 Asian Beach Games

I Asian Beach Games

Slogan: "Inspire the World"
Host city Bali, Indonesia
Nations participating 42
Athletes participating 1,665
Events 71 in 18 sports
Opening ceremony October 18
Closing ceremony October 26
Officially opened by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Athlete's Oath Andi Ardiansyah
Judge's Oath Pergunan Tarigan
Torch Lighter Agus Salim
Taufik Hidayat
I Gusti Made Oka Sulaksana
Main Stadium Nusa Dua-Benoa Cluster

The 2008 Asian Beach Games, the inaugural Asian Beach Games, was held in Bali, Indonesia from 18 October to 26 October 2008. The opening ceremony was held in the Garuda Wisnu Kencana memorial park in Nusa Dua, Badung.[1]

Contents

Organisation

Bidding process

There was no bidding process for Bali to host the inaugural edition of the Asian Beach Games. Although there were six other country that show their interest to host the games, Bali was chosen by acclamation to host the games.

It was the second time Indonesia hosted an Asia-level multi-sport event, after Jakarta held the 1962 Asian Games.

The Official Logo of the 1st Asian Beach Games Bali 2008 represents the water element that embodies the sporting event.

The shining sun comes from the emblem of the Olympic Council of Asia and represents its vital role in Asia's sport development and spreading energy created by the solidarity of the OCA.

The selection of the light and deep-blue effects represents the color of Balinese waters.

The two vertical lines represent two Pura (Balinese Hindu temple), an image of the gate to a Balinese house of worship which is signifies the ultimate hospitality of the Bali society in honouring and welcoming people from all over Asia.

The two big waves represent the commitment as well as the enthusiasm of the host city to hold the 1st Asian Beach Games.

The letters "BALI 2008" are red to show the spirit of sportsmanship and the typeface selection emphasizes the pride of all athletes competing in Bali.

Mascot

The official mascot of the 1st Asian Beach Games is Bali Starling (Leucopsar Rothschildi), locally known as “Jalak Bali”, as well as the official mascot of Bali and a bird species endemic to this Island.

The bird symbolizes Bali with all its uniqueness and serves as a reminder that the bird, like Bali, is beautiful, yet sacred. It is therefore apt that the official mascot of Bali was chosen as the official mascot for the first Bali Asian Beach Games.

Sponsorship

The inaugural Asian Beach Games have more than five committed sponsors, such as:

Calendar

 OC  Opening ceremony  ●   Event competitions   Event finals  CC  Closing ceremony
October 2008 18th
Sat
19th
Sun
20th
Mon
21st
Tue
22nd
Wed
23rd
Thu
24th
Fri
25th
Sat
26th
Sun
Gold
medals
3-on-3 basketball 2 2
Beach handball 2 2
Beach kabaddi 2 2
Beach sepaktakraw 2 2 4
Beach soccer 1 1
Beach volleyball 2 2
Beach water polo 1 1
Beach wrestling 2 2 4
Bodybuilding 6 6
Dragon boat 2 2 2 6
Jet ski 3 1 4
Marathon swimming 2 2 4
Paragliding 4 4 8
Pencak silat 2 6 8
Sailing 6 6
Surfing 1 1 1 1 1 5
Triathlon 2 2
Woodball 2 2 4
Total gold medals 5 9 7 12 5 9 15 9 71
Ceremonies OC CC
October 2008 18th
Sat
19th
Sun
20th
Mon
21st
Tue
22nd
Wed
23rd
Thu
24th
Fri
25th
Sat
26th
Sun
Gold
medals

Torch relay

The Bali Asian Beach Games Torch Relay started on October 8, 2008 at Mrapen, Grobogan, Central Java which is famous for its eternal flame. The flame was lit with the aid of natural gas.

From Mrapen, the torch was carried to Semarang. In the capital city of Central Java, the torch was carried to the Governor Office by Indonesia's famous sprinter, Suryo Agung Wibowo.

On October 9, 2008, the torch arrived in Jakarta. On the next day, the torch has been paraded from the City Hall to Indonesia's Minister of Youth and Sport Office, and finally arrived at the Istana Merdeka to be given to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

On October 10, 2008, the torch headed to Bali for a 9 day inland tour across 10 regions (1 city and 9 regencies).

More than 500 people(45 per district) were involved in the Torch Relay as torchbearer. They came from the sports world: athletes (local, national, and international), coaches, and officials. Besides that, more than 2,000 people participated in the parade.

The journey was a showcase of Indonesian culture, especially Balinese traditional art, dance, and music to international audiences.

Opening ceremony

The opening ceremony of the 1st Asian Beach Games has been held in the Garuda Wisnu Kencana, a great monumental cultural park in Nusa Dua, the most luxurious region in Bali.

Indonesian President, Yudhoyono has officially opened the games when the torch reached the Garuda Wisnu Kencana.

The show showcased highlights Indonesian cultural arts, and featured international performers such as Mark Lazarro from India and Christian Bautista from the Philippines, and also famous national singer and composer, such as Reza Artamevira, Andre Hehanusa and Erwin Gutawa.

Andre Hehanusa, Christian Bautista, and Mark Lazarro sang To Be One while Indonesian female singer, Reza Artamevira, performed the games anthem, Together We Inspire the World.

About 41 country leaders and several very important persons, including British Royal Family and Qatari Royal Family members, were present at the opening ceremony.

The 2008 Asian Beach Games were closed by Indonesia's Vice President, Jusuf Kalla on October 26, 2008.

Sports

Participating nations

There were 42 Asian countries confirmed to participate in the game.

Medal table

      Host nation

Rank Nation Gold Silver Bronze Total
1  Indonesia (INA) 23 8 20 51
2  Thailand (THA) 10 17 10 37
3  China (CHN) 6 10 7 23
4  South Korea (KOR) 4 7 10 21
5  Japan (JPN) 3 3 3 9
6  Hong Kong (HKG) 3 3 2 8
7  India (IND) 3 0 2 5
8  Vietnam (VIE) 2 5 3 10
9  Myanmar (MYA) 2 3 0 5
10  Malaysia (MAS) 2 2 6 10
11  Pakistan (PAK) 2 2 3 7
11  Chinese Taipei (TPE) 2 2 3 7
13  Syria (SYR) 2 0 0 2
14  Kuwait (KUW) 1 2 0 3
15  Kazakhstan (KAZ) 1 1 2 4
16  United Arab Emirates (UAE) 1 1 1 3
17  Singapore (SIN) 1 0 2 3
18  Afghanistan (AFG) 1 0 1 2
19  Mongolia (MGL) 1 0 0 1
19  Oman (OMA) 1 0 0 1
21  Philippines (PHI) 0 2 8 10
22  Brunei (BRU) 0 2 3 5
23  Jordan (JOR) 0 1 0 1
24  Bangladesh (BAN) 0 0 1 1
24  Bahrain (BRN) 0 0 1 1
24  Macau (MAC) 0 0 1 1
24  Maldives (MDV) 0 0 1 1
Total 71 71 90 232

Venues

Bodybuilding, Dragon boat, Surfing

3-on-3 basketball, Beach kabaddi, Pencak silat, Water polo, Beach wrestling, Jet ski, Paragliding, Woodball

Beach sepaktakraw, Beach volleyball,

Beach handball, Beach soccer, Marathon swimming, Triathlon

Sailing

References

External links