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Filipino athletes wave during the traditional parade of delegates in the 27th SEA Games Wednesday night in Nya Pyi Taw, Myanmar[/caption]
Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar — 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.
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.
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swimmer Jasmine Alkhadi who is hoping to make a big splash this time. (KJ Rosales)[/caption]
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 features thousands of local performers.
"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.
http://www.information.myanmaronlinecentre.com/myanmar-welcomes-the-world/
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