 |
|
Nga Thong, a 23-year-old elephant from Ayutthaya Province, leaves after the rehearsal of the opening ceremony of the 24th Universiade Bangkok 2007 in Bangkok, capital of Thailand, Aug. 6, 2007. Nga Thong is the only elephant in the opening ceremony.(Xinhua Photo)
Photo Gallery>>> |
By sportswriters Zhang Suyue, Duan Bo
BANGKOK, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- An elegant white elephant and
nearly 40 royal horses will highlight the opening ceremony of 24th
Universiade on Aug. 8, which is an integral part of the Thai King's 80th
birthday celebration this year.
"The white elephant is the symbol of our King, and
the horses are chosen from the Royal Army. Army soldiers will wear the uniform
to perform as riders," said Dr. Arthit Ovrairat, Director of Opening and Closing
ceremonies.
The elephant will be accompanied by six guards in
Thai traditional dresses, and the horses, carefully selected to ensure the
elegant image, will march in alignment to lead the FISU flag as well as all the
delegations into the stadium.
Dr. Ovrairat, also the President of Rangsit
University of Thailand, added that the presence of royal animals was not only
for the celebration of the King's birthday, but also aimed at showing the
hosting country's respect for all the guests from all over the world.
It is estimated that there will be a total of 40,000
spectators present at the opening ceremony, among whom about 13,000 will be
athletes and officials while most of the rest are local university students.
"Besides the royal animals, we will introduce
parachute performance by 80 members of aviation institutions and four armed
forces," the director disclosed.
The King of Thailand will celebrate his 80th birthday
on Dec. 5this year, and throughout the year, the whole country has been running
all sorts of celebration events, including the Asian Football Cup and
Universiade.
The 24th Universiade will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from Aug. 8 to 18. About 160 countries and regions will be attending the 11-day international multi-sport games.
