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Asian Games 2018 opening ceremony at Jakarta, highlights - as it happened
Highlights : The Asian Games 2018 is here and nations from all around the continent will be vying for top honours in 40 sports and 462 gold medal events. Following their Commonwealth Games success in 2010, India grabbed their best medal haul at the continental games the same year in Guangzhou, China, winning 14 gold medals, 17 silver and 37 bronze. Neeraj Chopra lead the Indian contingent at the opening ceremony of the Asian Games.
19:58 hrs IST
That’s the ceremony
Phew! What a ceremony that was, huh. Thank you for sitting through it with us, and do join us tomorrow for more live coverage of the Asian Games 2018. Until then, goodbye!
19:51 hrs IST
PM Modi sends his best
Best wishes to the Indian contingent for the @asiangames2018, which are being held in Indonesia. We are extremely proud of our athletes and I am sure they will give their best through the games. #AsianGames2018
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 18, 2018
19:32 hrs IST
India’s schedule on Day 1
#AsianGames2018 | Day 1 sees multiple medal hopes for Indiahttps://t.co/ZqN3o6JX8Y pic.twitter.com/Zy7XwwRbu4
— Hindustan Times (@htTweets) August 18, 2018
19:22 hrs IST
Esports Debut
Esports debuts as an official demonstration sport in Indonesia, which volunteered to host the Games after Vietnam pulled out in 2014 because of financial concerns.
19:10 hrs IST
Extravaganza
Some 13,000 athletes will compete in 40 sports and 67 disciplines, including new additions such as bridge, jet skiing and roller skating in the biggest multi-sport extravaganza outside the Olympics.
19:01 hrs IST
Asian Games Oath
Athletes will now take the oath of Asian Games. #OpeningCeremonyAsianGames2018 #OpeningAG2018 #AsianGames2018
— Asian Games 2018 (@asiangames2018) August 18, 2018
18:52 hrs IST
Let the games begin
President of Indonesia Joko Widodo declares the 2018 Asian Games open.
18:44 hrs IST
National anthem
Tulus sings the Indonesia national anthem, "Indonesia Raya", with the entire stadium singing along! #OpeningAG2018 #AsianGames2018 pic.twitter.com/lgiYKeOaqq
— Asian Games 2018 (@asiangames2018) August 18, 2018
18:33 hrs IST
Via Vallen
The parade of the nations has ended and now, it is time for Via Vallen to perform her hit songs.
18:26 hrs IST
Huge crowd
Some 42,000 people packed the Bung Karno stadium in Jakarta on Saturday evening for an elaborate ceremony showcasing diverse Indonesian culture.
18:20 hrs IST
Historic moment
North and South Korea marched together behind the Korean Unification flag at the Asian Games opening ceremony on Saturday, in the latest demonstration of their rapprochement.
18:12 hrs IST
Neeraj leads the way
18:02 hrs IST
United Korea
South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in April and May and their summits have opened various channels of peace talks, including ongoing military talks for reducing border tensions, Red Cross talks that set up temporary reunions between war-separated relatives, and sports talks that led to an agreement to field combined teams at the Asian Games in August.
17:58 hrs IST
Indian contingent
The Indian contingent was led by Neeraj Chopra and they waved towards the crowd while walking across the stadium. Here’s a wish from Sports Minister Rajyavardhan Rathore -
As the @asiangames2018 begin, ALL THE BEST to our contingent in Jakarta. Gold and glory await you, champs. Make us all proud! #AsianGames2018
— Rajyavardhan Rathore (@Ra_THORe) August 18, 2018
17:55 hrs IST
A special wish
Best wishes to the Indian contingent for the @asiangames2018, which are being held in Indonesia. We are extremely proud of our athletes and I am sure they will give their best through the games. #AsianGames2018
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 18, 2018
17:53 hrs IST
Team China
The Chinese contingent is here and China has sent a delegation of 845 athletes, including 19 Olympic champions, to the Asian Games. The team announced by the Chinese Olympic Association was dominated by newcomers, with three-fourths, 631, due to make their international debut in Jakarta.
17:49 hrs IST
Team introductions
The contingents are here and the first one to march are Afghanistan!
17:46 hrs IST
Boxing Queens
Gleeing Girls!
The three Indian🇮🇳 women boxers playing their first ever Asian Games are all kicked for the Opening Ceremony of the #AsianGames2018 #PunchMeinHaiDum #BoxtoGlory pic.twitter.com/GD53ukSI5F
— Boxing Federation (@BFI_official) August 18, 2018
17:42 hrs IST
Dance performance
A dance performance by the Indonesian kids follows the firework display at the venue. In other news, Sydney Olympic bronze winner, Karnam Malleswari wished the Indian contingent luck.
Wishing the entire Indian contingent at the #AsianGames the very best. Good luck to everyone participating and hope that we finish strong. #AsianGames2018 @ioaindia @media_sai @indiasports @asiangames2018 @sportwiseindia pic.twitter.com/AsQAbN1GNm
— Karnam Malleswari, OLY (@kmmalleswari) August 18, 2018
17:35 hrs IST
The time is here!
The opening ceremony is about to begin in Jakarta and the stadium is completely stacked for the event. They begin with a fireworks display and a video of the Prime Minister of Indonesia making his way to the venue.
17:27 hrs IST
Bad news for China
A doping ban will keep China out of weightlifting at the Asian Games. China and eight other countries, including Asian Games participant Kazakhstan, were suspended last October for 12 months. Weightlifting has been under pressure from the IOC to eliminate endemic doping or be banned from the Olympics.
17:19 hrs IST
Gymnastic champion
17:13 hrs IST
Sreejesh’s resolve
The Indian men’s hockey team is high on confidence after a second-place finish in the Champions Trophy and captain PR Sreejesh wants his side to focus on winning a gold medal in the Asian Games 2018. Talking to Hindustan Times, Sreejesh said that ‘It’s all about getting an Olympic ticket’ for the Indian hockey team. Watch the interview here.
17:06 hrs IST
Shooting star
16:55 hrs IST
India’s Kabaddi giants
When it comes to Kabaddi at the Asian Games, there is no bigger power than India. Since the introduction of the men’s category in 1990, they have won the gold on every occasion and a look at the scores in the summit clashes show how dominant they have been over the years. Read full story here.
16:47 hrs IST
Jakarta ready for opening show
Fireworks splashed myriad colours in the skyline on Thursday night as the Indonesian capital completed the final dress rehearsal of the Asian Games opening ceremony. An account by our correspondent in Jakarta. Read here.
16:39 hrs IST
India’s flag-bearer
A look at India’s flag-bearer at the Asian Games 2018 opening ceremony -
16:32 hrs IST
Asian Games 2018
Hello and welcome to the coverage of the Asian Games 2018 opening ceremony in Jakarta. The ceremony will begin on 17:30 IST and the flag-bearer for India will be javelin-thrower Neeraj Chopra.
