Bangkok 1998 Asian Games - TPT Broadcast Opening Sequence

Описание: Copyright (c) 1998 Television Pool of Thailand

Held from 6 to 20 December 1998, the 13th edition of the Asian Games marked the fourth time that Bangkok, Thailand had played host, having already done so in 1966, 1970 (initially in Seoul) and 1978 (initially Singapore, then Islamabad). It was also the first time that the Thai capital had to put a bid for the event, going on to be elected as host city by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) in September 1990 over bids from Taipei and Jakarta.

But in its run-up, there had been serious doubts about whether Thailand, in the midst of Asia's worst economic crisis in half a century, would successfully host the world’s second-biggest sporting event. The Thai cause was not helped in the final weeks leading to the Asiad, when the construction of road links and games venues was running behind schedule, general ticket sales for the events very low and some teams were pulled out of competitions.

According to a news report from United Press International, its preparations including the construction and renovation of three main stadiums and an athletes' village, cost an estimated THB6 billion, which is US$167 million.

But finally, all doubts had been washed away by the time the Games got underway at the 70,000-seater Rajamangala National Stadium. Over 6,000 athletes across the continent have participated in the Bangkok Asian Games, which featured 377 medal events in 36 sports and disciplines. There were two demonstration sports included at the 1998 Asiad - Dancesport (went on to be specifically included as a medal sport for the 2010 Asiad in Guangzhou, although Breakdancing, or simply Breaking, took its place at Hangzhou 2022) and Thailand's own martial art and combat sport Muay Thai, or Thai boxing.

Thailand enjoyed one of their best performances yet in an Asiad besides their third-place finishes in 1966 and 1970, collecting 24 gold, 26 silver and 40 bronze medals for a total of 90 medals that placed them fourth on the medal tally, behind Japan at third (52 golds), South Korea at second (65 golds), and Games topnotchers China (129 golds). The home crowd’s support has been exceptional, and the host nation's victories have been a welcome diversion from the country’s economic woes. For Thailand as a whole, the 1998 Asiad was one of its remarkable achievements in the nation's sports development throughout its modern history.