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Published on August 5, 2007

The stage is set for Bangkok to welcome tens of thousands of athletes, officials, spectators and media people from around the globe to the World University Games.

On August 8, the Univer-siade Flame will light up the Rajamangala Stadium during the official opening ceremony, kicking off the biennial sports extravaganza.

Bangkok was chosen in 2003 by the International University Sports Federation (Fisu) to host the Univer-siade. 

More than 10,200 athletes and officials from 151 countries will vie for 236 gold medals in 15 sports.

Thailand will be represented by 389 athletes, including HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana, who will test her mettle in the badminton competition.

The hosts have set themselves a modest target of 10 gold medals.

The 15 events to be contested in the 11-day meet, which ends on August 18, are athletics, aquatic sports (swimming, diving and water polo), badminton, basketball, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics, judo, shooting, softball, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and volleyball.

The first gold medal will be awarded in the women's 20-kilometre walk, which will begin at 6.30am on Thursday in Ayutthaya. Thanaporn Piamsakul, the bronze medallist at the 2005 SEA Games in Manila, will carry Thai hopes in the discipline.

However, the hosts have the best chance of winning their first gold in either the men's or the women's 4x100m relays on the same day.

In mid-July all venues were confirmed as "Games-ready" by the Universiade Bangkok Organising Committee (UBOC), with Education Minister Wijit Srisa-an at the helm.

Some venues such as the football stadiums and basketball gymnasiums will be fully operational from Tuesday when the preliminary rounds of both events kick off at 11am. Technical rehearsals for the majority of the remaining sports have already been held to ensure Bangkok's full-scale preparation and readiness for the Universiade.

The capital city is awash with colours for the sports extravaganza. Hotels have been decorated with flowers and plants, while thousands of banners featuring the UBOC brand and sports illustrations deck the roads.

Streets and prominent sites including stadiums have been decorated with yellow flags and billboards.

The 151 flags of participating countries are also on display at main places like stadiums and universities in Bangkok and its vicinity.

Thousands of athletes, their families, officials and visitors have arrived in Bangkok. While the sporting action will be the top priority for many, visitors will also enjoy diverse cultural shows and entertainment around Bangkok.

The Universiade Flame Torch Run, which was split into four sections on August 2 to celebrate among 113 educational institutes in the four regions nationwide, is on the way back to Thammasat Rangsit and is due to be lit in grand style by HRH Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana during the grand opening on Wednesday.

HRH Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn will graciously preside over the ceremony, where spectacular shows of the host city and Thai culture will dazzle and delight spectators in the stadium and more than three billion television viewers across the world.

The opening ceremony performances, themed "All Become One", will reflect the splendid cooperation of more than 7,500 volunteers from universities nationwide with a dazzling show of light-and-sound effects.

The highlight will be a sophisticated show in honour of HM the King, with photographic images via the Giant Slide Projector spectacularly displayed on the screen-like massive-man formation by over 7,000 students.

Dr Sumate Yamnoon, executive director of the Executive Office of the Universiade Bangkok 2007, confirmed that the stage was all set for the Games.

He was also upbeat that with such good preparation the 24th Universiade was likely to be a memorable success in terms of number of athletes and officials taking part, the tremendous turnout of local spectators and media coverage.

At the previous edition in Izmir, Turkey, two years ago, the Thai delegation finished a distant 31st overall, winning three medals, including the Kingdom's first-ever gold by taekwondo exponent Patiwat Tongsalap in the men's 72kg lightweight. The other two medals were also won in the taekwondo competition, a silver by Yaowapa Boorapolchai and a bronze by Laksami Yumankong.

Russia captured 26 golds to land the overall title, with former successive two-time champions China (21 gold) and Japan (18), finishing second and third respectively.

Preechachan  Wiriyanupappong

The Nation