The Asian Games was declared open by Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo late on Saturday August 18, 2018 during a colorful opening ceremony in Jakarta dominated by the joint march of North and South Korea.
Indonesia put up a dazzling display of colors during the Opening Ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games. The loudest cheers were reserved for the contingent of hosts Indonesia while the united Korean contingent also drew a lot of noise.
The Indian flag was held by Neeraj Chopra as 804-member strong Indian contingent. After the march of the countries, Via Vallen performed the theme song Meraih Bintang. Indonesian President Joko Widodo then declared the Games open. The ceremony then featured renowned Indonesian singers, such as Anggun, who is internationally recognised, Raisa, Tulus, Edo Kondologit, Putri Ayu, Fatin, GAC and Kamasean.
A burst of fireworks followed the announcement, marking the start of the two-week tournament to be held in Jakarta and Palembang in Sumatra. The ceremony stage — with features of 120-metre length, 30-metre width and 26-metre height — showcased a towering mountain as its background, accompanied by plants and flowers unique to Indonesia.
Commonwealth Games gold medallist Neeraj Chopra was India’s flag-bearer in the opening ceremony. The Indian sports ministry had cleared an 804-member Indian contingent, including 572 athletes, for the Asian Games. The sporting extravaganza will see around 10,000 athletes from 45 countries compete in 58 games.
