An impressive performance by the host country during last night's opening ceremony for the Southeast Asian Games. Photos by Patipat Janthong
By Terry Fredrickson
Myanmar staged a colourful opening ceremony for the Southeast Asian Games Wednesday and Bangkok Post photographer Patipat Janthong was there.
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SEA Games: Myanmar 'open for business' with lavish ceremony
Fireworks rise over the Wunna Theikdi stadium in the country's capital Naypyidaw.
Myanmar staged a lavish spectacle of lights, dance and pyrotechnics at the opening ceremony for the Southeast Asian Games Wednesday, as the impoverished and formerly reclusive state displayed a dazzling face to the world.
Fireworks exploded above the 30,000-seat, purpose-built Wunna Theikdi stadium and a wall of screens beamed majestic Myanmar landscapes and intricate animations during the Chinese-backed extravaganza in the country's capital Naypyidaw.
The 22-day SEA Games, featuring Olympic staples like athletics alongside traditional sports like chinlone, is seen as a coming-out party for Myanmar two years after the end of military rule
"Tonight, I'm very proud of Myanmar... I'm so grateful to be here," said Aye Aye Kyi Toe, an 18-year-old dancer dressed in resplendent traditional clothes.
Domestic pop stars and massed ranks of dancers entertained the crowd, which burst into chants of "Myanmar, Myanmar!" when reform-minded President Thein Sein entered the stadium under a flurry of fireworks
Dancers in traditional costumes were happy and excited at being able to participate
The Games were formally opened when a bare-chested warrior in a chariot fired a blazing arrow to light a symbolic flame in a large cauldron set high in the stadium.
There was a glitch however, when the cauldron lit up narrowly before the flaming arrow had left the warrior's bow.
China, which marked its own international re-emergence with the Beijing Olympics in 2008, has offered nearly $33 million in technical assistance including for the opening and closing ceremonies.
"China has helped a lot," presidential spokesman Ye Htut told AFP, listing the lighting, sound system and technical advice for Wednesday's ceremony, which featured thousands of local performers.
A traditional archer aims his arrow at a large cauldron set high in the stadium.
"The Chinese also trained 200 of our athletes on their soil and they have sent two dozen sports coaches to help us improve our level " added Ye Htut.
China is keen to secure its economic and political interests in Myanmar, one of Southeast Asia's poorest countries which sits at a crossroads between the world's second biggest economy and regional rival India.
The United States has similarly courted Myanmar since it began political reforms in 2011. It also is eyeing the potential of a new market of 60 million people and a country flush with natural resources
Myanmar is hosting the Games for the first time in more than four decades marking another landmark in its gradual emergence from rule by a hardline military junta
"For 44 years we have not had the SEA Games," said Onh Myint Oo, a former army officer who is now deputy director-general of the sports ministry.
"Now we are open for business. It's the right time to have the Games."
Members of the Thai team wave to the crowd.
Only a smattering of foreign fans made the journey from their respective countries, but those who travelled to the remote capital were effusive in their praise of Myanmar's return to the international stage
"It's my first time at the SEA Games and in Myanmar... the ceremony was so special, it was great," said Joanna Usana, 31, from the Philippines.
Competition has already started and finished in some events, including the Myanmar cane-ball game of chinlone, which was played in front of enthusiastic crowds of local fans.
Myanmar won six categories in that event, propelling it to an early lead in the medals table with 18 golds.
But the bulk of the disciplines begin on Thursday and run until the closing ceremony on December 22.
AFP
Here is a brief look at the men's team from Myanmar during the chinlone competition. It looks like a sports Thais could play very well.
Vocabulary
advice: an opinion or a suggestion about what somebody should do in a particular situation - คำแนะนำ
animation: a film or cartoon using a series of drawings that are shown quickly one after another so that they look as if they are moving (an animator is someone who creates animations) - ภาพเคลื่อนไหวได้, ภาพการ์ตูนที่เคลื่อนไหวได้
archer: a person who shoots with a bow and arrows - ผู้ยิงธนู
assistance: help; aid - ความช่วยเหลือ
athletics: track and field; sports that people compete in, such as running and jumping - กรีฑา
backed: supported - ให้การสนับสนุน
bare-chested: with the chest uncovered, i.e., not wearing a shirt - ไม่สวมเสื้อ
beam : to send out a beam of light, or an electrical or radio signal, etc - ลำแสง คลื่น
blazing: burning -
bulk (of something): the majority or largest part of something - ส่วนที่ใหญ่กว่าหรือมากกว่า
burst: to suddenly begin to do something -
capital: the most important town or city of a country, usually where the central government operates from - เมืองหลวง
category: a group having similar qualities - ประเภท
cauldron: a large deep pot for boiling liquids or cooking food over a fire - หม้อต้มขนาดใหญ่
chanting: shouting or singing a word or phrase again and again - ร้องเพลง โห่ร้อง
chariot: typically a vehicle with two wheels and no roof that was pulled by horses in races and battles in ancient times - ราชรถ
court: to try to obtain or get something -
crossroads: a place where two things, usually roads, meet and cross each other; at an important point in somebody's life or development - ชุมทาง, สี่แยก
dazzling: extremely impressive - น่าประหลาดใจ, น่าพิศวง, น่าอัศจรรย์
decade: a period of ten years - ทศวรรษ
deputy: a person whose rank is immediately below that of the leader of an organisation - รอง
discipline: a particular sport or activity that requires training and effort; a subject that people study, especially at a university - ศิลปปฎิบัติ, ,สาขาวิชา
domestic: inside the country being talked about - ภายในประเทศ
dozen: a group of twelve of the same thing - หนึ่งโหล
effusive: showing much or too much emotion - ซึ่งพรั่งพรูออกมา (อารมณ์, คำพูด, การเขียน)
emergence: the process of appearing - การปรากฎออกมา
enthusiastic: showing a feeling of energetic interest in a particular subject or activity and an eagerness to be involved in it - กระตือรือร้น
extravaganza: a large, exciting and expensive event or entertainment -
eye: to consider carefully; to look at someone or something carefully - พิจารณา, มองดู
feature: to include someone or something as an important part - มีบทบาทสำคัญใน
firework: an object that explodes when you light it and produces coloured lights and loud noise - ดอกไม้ไฟ, ดอกไม้เพลิง, พลุ
flame: the brightly burning gas that you see coming from a fire - เปลวไฟ, เปลวเพลิง
flurry: a series of things that happen suddenly - ช่วงแห่งความตื่นเต้นหรือความโกลาหลที่เกิดขึ้นในเวลาอันสั้น
flush: having a lot of something -
glitch: a small problem or fault that prevents something from being successful or working as well as it should - ความบกพร่องเล็กน้อย
grateful: a feeling that you want thank someone because they have given you something or done something for you - สำนึกบุญคุณ
hardline: having very fixed beliefs and being unlikely or unwilling to change them - ที่ยึดมั่นในหลักการ
host: a country, city, group, person, etc. which provides the space and other things necessary for a special event - เจ้าภาพ
impoverished: very poor - ยากจน
impressive: something that people admire because it is very good, very large or shows great skill - ซึ่งน่าประทับใจ
interest: an advantage or benefit to someone or something - ผลประโยชน์
intricate: having a lot of different parts and small details that fit together - ที่ซับซ้อน, อย่างประณีต
junta: a group of military officers that governs a country, usually without having been elected - รัฐบาลทหาร
keen: very interested, eager or wanting (to do) something very much - สนใจ, ใจจดใจจ่อ
landmark: a major event or achievement that marks an important state in a process and makes progress possible - เหตุการณ์ที่เป็นการแสดงถึงความคืบหน้า
landscape: an area of land that is beautiful to look at or that has a particular type of appearance - ภูมิประเทศ, ภูมิทัศน์
lavish: more than enough, especially if expensive - ฟุ่มเฟือย
level: a position or rank in a scale of size or importance - ระดับ
local: in or related to the area that you live, or to the particular area that you are talking about - ท้องถิ่น
majestic: impressive because of size or beauty - สง่าผ่าเผย, สูงส่ง
mark: to show that something is happening or happened - เป็นเครืองแสดง เป็นการเริ่มต้น
massed: having come together in large numbers - รวมตัวกันในจำนวนมาก
natural resources: things such as coal, trees, wildlife and oil that exist in nature and can be used by people - ทรัพยากรธรรมชาติ
participate: to take part in something - เข้าร่วม
performance: the act of carrying out some type of entertainment or sport - การแสดง
potential: possible - ความเป็นไปได้
praise: an expression of strong approval or admiration - การยกย่อง, การชื่นชม
propel: to move or push someone or something forward - ขับเคลื่อน, ขับดัน
proud: feeling pleased and satisfied about something that you own or have done, or are connected with - ภูมิใจ
purpose-built: designed and built for a particular use -
pyrotechnics: fireworks - การเล่นดอกไม้เพลิง
ranks: all the people within a group, organization etc -
re-emergence: appearing somewhere again after an absence - การปรากฏตัวอีกครั้งหลังจากห่างหายไป
reclusive: living alone and avoiding other people or countries - สันโดษ
reform: to make a change that is intended to correct a situation that is wrong or unfair - แก้ไข ปฏิรูป
regional: of or relating to a region - เกี่ยวกับภูมิภาค
remote: far away from other cities, towns, or people - ที่ห่างไกล
respective: belonging or relating separately to each of the people or things already mentioned - เกี่ยวกับแต่ละบุคคลหรือแต่ละสิ่ง,โดยลำดับ
resplendent: brightly coloured in an impressive way - สุกสว่าง, โชติช่วง, งามอร่าม
rival: a person, group, team or business that competes with another - คู่ต่อสู้, คู่ปรับ, คู่แข่ง
rule: control over the government of a country - การปกครอง
secure: to get or achieve something - ได้มา
similar: like somebody/something but not exactly the same - คล้ายกัน
smattering: a small amount of something -
soil: land owned by a country - พื้นดิน
spectacle: an exciting and impressive public event or performance; an unusual, exciting, or impressive event or sight - การแสดงต่อหน้าสาธารณชน,การแสดง
stage: to organise an event or activity - จัด
staple: forming a basic, large or important part of something - ส่วนสำคัญ
state: country - ประเทศ
symbolic: representing something important, but in this case, not the real thing - เป็นสัญญาณ เป็นสัญลักษณ์
traditional: of a custom, a way of life or a way of doing things that has not changed for a long time - เป็นประเพณี, ตามธรรมเนียม
