2008 Asian Beach Games

I Asian Beach Games

Logo of the 2008 Asian Beach Games.
Host city	Bali, Indonesia
Motto	Inspire the World
Nations participating	41
Athletes participating	1,665
Events	71 in 19 sports
Opening ceremony	October 18
Closing ceremony	October 26
Officially opened by	President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono
Athlete's Oath	Andi Ardiansyah
Torch Lighter	Agus Salim Taufik Hidayat I Gusti Made Oka Sulaksana
Main venue	Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park
Website	Official website
2010  >

The 2008 Asian Beach Games, the inaugural Asian Beach Games, was held in Bali, Indonesia from 18 October to 26 October 2008. The opening ceremony was held in the Garuda Wisnu Kencana Cultural Park in Nusa Dua, Bali.

Organisation

Bidding process

There was no bidding process for Bali to host the inaugural edition of the Asian Beach Games. Although there were six other country that show their interest to host the games, Bali was chosen by acclamation to host the games.

It was the second time Indonesia hosted an Asia-level multi-sport event, after Jakarta held the 1962 Asian Games.

Logo

The Official Logo of the 1st Asian Beach Games Bali 2008 represents the water element that embodies the sporting event.

The shining sun comes from the emblem of the Olympic Council of Asia and represents its vital role in Asia's sport development and spreading energy created by the solidarity of the OCA.

The selection of the light and deep-blue effects represents the color of Balinese waters.

The two vertical lines represent two Pura (Balinese Hindu temple), an image of the gate to a Balinese house of worship which is signifies the ultimate hospitality of the Bali society in honouring and welcoming people from all over Asia.

The two big waves represent the commitment as well as the enthusiasm of the host city to hold the 1st Asian Beach Games.

The letters "BALI 2008" are red to show the spirit of sportsmanship and the typeface selection emphasizes the pride of all athletes competing in Bali.

Mascot

Official mascot, jalak Bali the Bali starling

The official mascot of the 1st Asian Beach Games is Bali starling (Leucopsar rothschildi), locally known as “jalak Bali”, as well as the official mascot of Bali and a bird species endemic to this Island.

The bird symbolizes Bali with all its uniqueness and serves as a reminder that the bird, like Bali, is beautiful, yet sacred. It is therefore apt that the official mascot of Bali was chosen as the official mascot for the first Bali Asian Beach Games.

Venues

There were 5 venues for this games.

Venue	Sports
Kuta Beach	Bodybuilding, Dragon boat, Surfing
Nusa Dua - Benoa	3-on-3 basketball, Beach kabaddi, Pencak silat, Water polo, Beach wrestling, Jet ski, Paragliding, Beach woodball
Sanur Beach	Beach sepaktakraw, Beach volleyball
Mertasari Beach	Beach handball, Beach soccer, Marathon swimming, Triathlon
Serangan Island	Sailing

Sponsorship

The inaugural Asian Beach Games have more than five committed sponsors, such as:

• Swatch (official timekeeper and information system provider)
• Carisbrook (official wardrobe)
• Pertamina (Indonesian state-owned oil company)
• Panasonic
• Samsung

Torch relay

The Bali Asian Beach Games Torch Relay started on October 8, 2008 at Mrapen, Grobogan, Central Java which is famous for its eternal flame. The flame was lit with the aid of natural gas.

From Mrapen, the torch was carried to Semarang. In the capital city of Central Java, the torch was carried to the Governor Office by Indonesia's famous sprinter, Suryo Agung Wibowo.

On October 9, 2008, the torch arrived in Jakarta. On the next day, the torch has been paraded from the City Hall to Indonesia's Minister of Youth and Sport Office, and finally arrived at the Istana Merdeka to be given to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.

On October 10, 2008, the torch headed to Bali for a 9-day inland tour across 10 regions (1 city and 9 regencies).

More than 500 people(45 per district) were involved in the Torch Relay as torchbearer. They came from the sports world: athletes (local, national, and international), coaches, and officials. Besides that, more than 2,000 people participated in the parade.

The journey was a showcase of Indonesian culture, especially Balinese traditional art, dance, and music to international audiences.

Opening ceremony

The Garuda Wisnu Kencana

The opening ceremony of the 1st Asian Beach Games has been held in the Garuda Wisnu Kencana, a great monumental cultural park in Nusa Dua, the most luxurious region in Bali.

Indonesian President, Yudhoyono has officially opened the games when the torch reached the Garuda Wisnu Kencana.

The show showcased highlights Indonesian cultural arts, and featured international performers such as Mark Lazarro from India and Christian Bautista from the Philippines, and also famous national singer and composer, such as Reza Artamevira, Andre Hehanusa and Erwin Gutawa.

Andre Hehanusa, Christian Bautista, and Mark Lazarro sang To Be One while Indonesian female singer, Reza Artamevira, performed the games anthem, Together We Inspire the World.

About 41 country leaders and several very important persons, including British Royal Family and Qatari Royal Family members, were present at the opening ceremony.

The 2008 Asian Beach Games were closed by Indonesia's Vice President, Jusuf Kalla on October 26, 2008.

Sports

• 3-on-3 basketball (2) ()
• Beach handball (2) ()
• Beach kabaddi (2) ()
• Beach sepaktakraw (4) ()
• Beach soccer (1) ()
• Beach volleyball (2) ()
• Beach water polo (1) ()

• Beach woodball (4) ()
• Beach wrestling (4) ()
• Bodybuilding (6) ()
• Dragon boat (6) ()
• Jet ski (4) ()
• Marathon swimming (4) ()
• Paragliding (8) ()

• Pencak silat (8) ()
• Sailing (2) ()
• Surfing (5) ()
• Triathlon (2) ()
• Windsurfing (4) ()

Participating nations

There were 41 Asian countries confirmed to participate in the game.

• 22x20px Afghanistan
•  Bahrain
•  Bangladesh
•  Brunei
•  Cambodia
•  China
•  Chinese Taipei
•  Hong Kong
•  India
•  Indonesia (214)
•  Iran (10)
•  Japan
•  Jordan
•  Kazakhstan

•  Kuwait
•  Kyrgyzstan
•  Laos
•  Lebanon
•  Macau
•  Malaysia
•  Maldives (10)
•  Mongolia
•  Myanmar
•  Nepal (5)
•  North Korea (2)
•  Oman
•  Pakistan
•  Palestine

•  Philippines
•  Qatar
•  Singapore
• 22x20px South Korea
•  Sri Lanka
•  Syria
•  Tajikistan
•  Thailand
•  East Timor (18)
•  United Arab Emirates
•  Uzbekistan
•  Vietnam
•  Yemen

Calendar

OC

Opening ceremony

●

Event competitions

1

Event finals

CC

Closing ceremony

October 2008	18th Sat	19th Sun	20th Mon	21st Tue	22nd Wed	23rd Thu	24th Fri	25th Sat	26th Sun	Gold medals
3-on-3 basketball							●	●	2	2
Beach handball	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	2		2
Beach kabaddi		●	●	●	2					2
Beach sepaktakraw	●	●	●	2		●	●	2		4
Beach soccer	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	1	1
Beach volleyball	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	2	2
Beach water polo		●	●	●	1					1
Beach woodball	●	●	●	2	2					4
Beach wrestling							2	2		4
Bodybuilding		●	6							6
Dragon boat		2	2	2						6
Jet ski						●	3	1		4
Marathon swimming								2	2	4
Paragliding			●	●	●	4	4			8
Pencak silat	●	2	●		6					8
Sailing				●	●		●	6		6
Surfing		1	1	1	1	1				5
Triathlon									2	2
Total gold medals		5	9	7	12	5	9	15	9	71
Ceremonies	OC								CC
October 2008	18th Sat	19th Sun	20th Mon	21st Tue	22nd Wed	23rd Thu	24th Fri	25th Sat	26th Sun	Gold medals

Medal table

      Host nation

Rank	Nation	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Indonesia (INA)	23	8	20	51
2	Thailand (THA)	10	17	10	37
3	China (CHN)	6	10	7	23
4	South Korea (KOR)	4	7	10	21
5	Japan (JPN)	3	3	3	9
6	Hong Kong (HKG)	3	3	2	8
7	India (IND)	3	0	2	5
8	Vietnam (VIE)	2	5	3	10
9	Myanmar (MYA)	2	3	0	5
10	Malaysia (MAS)	2	2	6	10
11	Pakistan (PAK)	2	2	3	7
11	Chinese Taipei (TPE)	2	2	3	7
13	Syria (SYR)	2	0	0	2
14	Kuwait (KUW)	1	2	0	3
15	Kazakhstan (KAZ)	1	1	2	4
16	United Arab Emirates (UAE)	1	1	1	3
17	Singapore (SIN)	1	0	2	3
18	Afghanistan (AFG)	1	0	1	2
19	Mongolia (MGL)	1	0	0	1
19	Oman (OMA)	1	0	0	1
21	Philippines (PHI)	0	2	8	10
22	Brunei (BRU)	0	2	3	5
23	Jordan (JOR)	0	1	0	1
24	Bangladesh (BAN)	0	0	1	1
24	Bahrain (BRN)	0	0	1	1
24	Macau (MAC)	0	0	1	1
24	Maldives (MDV)	0	0	1	1
Total		71	71	90	232

External links

• Bali 2008 – 1st Asian Beach Games – Olympic Council of Asia official site
• Official website
• The Big Picture – The Boston Globe