Students gather in Bangkok for World University Games
STUDENT GAMES: The opening ceremony for the World University Games in
Bangkok on Wednesday will kick off ten days of sport involving 10,200
student athletes competing in 17 disciplines.
The games, rated as second only to the Olympics in terms of size and
quality, have attracted participants from 160 countries, and will be
closely watched for emerging talent ahead of Beijing 2008.
Preliminary rounds of basketball and football take place on Tuesday
and Wednesday before the event moves into full swing the following day.
Highlights of the programme are expected to include the athletics,
held in the 20,000-seater Thammasat University stadium, and the
swimming, for which the venue is a 4,000-seater pool on the same campus.
The occasion has been billed as part of Thailand's year-long
celebrations for the 80th birthday of the country's greatly revered King
Bhumibol Adulyadej, a keen sportsman who competed in international
sailing races in his youth.
"The government wishes to invite all participants in the Universiade
Bangkok 2007 to join the Thai people in celebrating this auspicious
occasion," Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont said in welcoming remarks
ahead of the games. "You will witness how profoundly the Thai people
admire their king."
Bangkok 2007 will be the 24th World University Games, or "Universiade"
- a contraction of "University Olympiad."
Organised by the International University Sport Federation (FISU),
the games first took place in Warsaw in 1924, with summer and winter
events now held every two years. Participants must be aged between 17
and 28 and be studying for a degree or diploma, though they can also
compete if they graduated within the last year.
Former World University Games winners who have gone on to greater
things include China's Liu Xiang, the reigning Olympic 110 metre hurdles
champion.
The other sports in the games are badminton, diving, fencing, golf,
gymnastics, judo, shooting, softball, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis,
water polo and volleyball. Hosting such a complex event will be a major
challenge for Thailand, less than a year after the government was
overthrown in a military coup.
The FISU has admitted that the resulting political instability
"somewhat upset" preparations as many games organisers worked directly
for the government and were "consequently removed and new officials
appeared."
Bangkok's notorious traffic congestion is also likely to present
obstacles during an event that sprawls across 36 competition sites and
43 practice sites - and fills 10,025 beds in the athletes' village.
However organisers say extensive transport plans have been drawn up,
and that everything is in place for a successful event.
Thailand is fielding nearly 400 athletes and has gold medal hopes for
Boonsak Ponsana in the badminton, its men's and women's 4x100-metre
relay teams and its taekwondo competitors.
Twins Sonchat and Sanchai Ratiwatana, and Danai Udomchoke, are also
seen as live medal prospects in the tennis.
Russia topped the medals table at the last World University Games in
Turkey, with China in second place.
BANGKOK, Monday, AFP
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