Beach Games wrap up in Phuket
By Suwitcha Chaiyong
Photos courtesy of www.phuketthailand2014.com
Did you know
The first Asian Beach Games were held in Bali in 2008.
The fourth Asian Beach Games were hosted by Thailand and held in Phuket from November 14 to 23. The event ended beautifully with great success from the Thai team.
From a total of 43 competing countries, Thai athletes were the champions of the games, grabbing 56 gold medals, 37 silver and 33 bronze. In second and third place were China with 16 gold medals and South Korea with nine.
SWEET CEREMONY
On November 23, the closing ceremony of the games took place at Saphan Hin Sports Center in Phuket. Despite the rain, the participants stayed throughout the ceremony, which was presided over by Tourism and Sports Minister Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul.
HOST HANDOVER
Vietnam will host the next Asian Beach Games in 2016, so the official flag was handed over to Vietnamese Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Khanh Hai and Professor Hoang Vinh Giang, Deputy President of the Vietnamese Olympic Committee. After the official handover, there were some beautiful Vietnamese cultural performances.
UNITED IN FUN
To complete the ceremony, there were four shows by 800 performers ranging from kids to seniors. The shows emphasised unity as well as the preservation of Phuket’s natural resources. There was also a symbolic release of turtles into the sea.
At the end of the event, the singer Lydia Sarunrat put on a fun performance of dance songs, with a beautiful fireworks display rounding out the proceedings.
Vocabulary
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preside (v): to lead or be in charge of a meeting, ceremony, etc.
handover (n): the act of moving power or responsibility from one person or group to another
unity (n): the state of being in agreement and working together
preservation (n): the act of keeping something in its original state or in good condition
round out (phrasal v): to finish an activity or complete something in a good or suitable way
