Our EMTV Sports Reporters, Jeremy Mogi, Dinirose Raiko and cameraman, Albert Naime are at the 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
In this article, Jeremy brings to us the thrills of the Opening Ceremony.
It began as a rather subdued atmosphere, 45,000 people in a cavernous arena easily double that of Papua New Guinea’s beloved Sir John Guise Stadium. But what would start off as quiet murmuring would soon transcend into a delightful mix of Arabic culture infused with thr lights of modern technology and enthralling choreography.
Land and sea would combine as the history of Turkmenistan unfolded throughout the evening. The five regions of this land once under the Soviet empire, all demonstrated with the Zodiac as their guide, their science revealed , a revelation indeed coming from a culture that though itself also fairly modern.
This was more than a welcoming of athletes and international guests but a deep lesson in the endurance of culture and its ever growing importance in a world seemingly desperate to let its past go.
Exit the horses and camels and white clad dancers, enter the green of the Turkmen flag .
Light sabres alight irks an almost Star Wars feel. This made it clear that Turkmenistan had few outside guests, and this was their time to shine.
