MAKKAH, 9 April 2005 — Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed officially declared the 1st Islamic Solidarity Games open in a spectacular ceremony yesterday at King Abdul Aziz Sport City Stadium here.
Prince Sultan ibn Fahd, president of the General Presidency of Youth Welfare and his deputy Prince Nawaf ibn Faisal, attended the opening ceremony and so did presidents of sports federations of the countries taking part in the games.
The inaugural ceremony started with the playing of the Saudi national anthem at 8:30 p.m., followed by the recitation from the holy Qur’an.
During the traditional marchpast of teams, the large crowd reserved their loudest cheers for the Palestinian and Iraqi contingents.
Crown Prince Abdullah gave a live statement by satellite, which was aired on five giant TV screens in the stadium. In his statement, the crown prince welcomed the Islamic countries that are participating in the games in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where the Islamic message started and great civilization started.
He said: “I welcome all of you in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and I hope that you have a pleasant time while you are here.”
Prince Abdullah hoped that the Islamic Games would achieve their goals and that countries carry good memories of the Kingdom on their way back home. He added the games will further strengthen the relationships between Islamic countries and make them more proud of their Islamic values.
The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Secretary General Professor Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, welcomed the Islamic countries to the 1st games. He thanked the Saudi government for hosting the large event. He said the staging of the games coincided with Makkah being named the Islamic cultural capital of the year. He was proud to be the first secretary general to participate in such event.
Prince Sultan welcomed the guests conveyed the best wishes of King Fahd and Crown Prince Abdullah and Prince Sultan, second deputy premier and minister of defense and aviation. He said that the statement of Crown Prince Abdullah is a clear evidence of his support to Islamic word.
He said that the Kingdom is happy to host the second largest event in the world after the Olympic Games. He said: “The main goal of the Kingdom is to gather the youths from the Islamic world.”
Prince Abdul Majeed then read a statement announcing the official opening of the games. The Islamic Games chief organizer Dr. Saleh ibn Naser, and his deputy raised the games flag.
Prince Abdul Majeed also conveyed the regret expressed by the crown prince for not being able to attend the opening ceremony due to the heavy workload. He asked me to tell you all that “the success of this 1st Islamic Games will have great impact in the Islamic world and that Islam is the religion of peace and justice.”
A simultaneous fireworks display at four places — King Abdul Aziz Sport City in Makkah, Prince Muhammad ibn Abdul Aziz Stadium in Madinah, Prince Abdullah Al-Faisal stadium in Jeddah and King Fahd Sport City in Taif — capped the day’s proceedings .
More than 3,000 students and 60 teachers participated in the opening ceremony. These student participants presented nine spectacular pictures of Makkah’s history.
Saudi Arabia are seeing action in five events today. At prince Abdullah Al-Faisal stadium in Jeddah, the hosts will play against Yemen in a Group C football match. The Saudi national team will be under the supervision this time of national coach Naser Al-Johari. The team includes new but promising players that are being prepared to join the Saudi first team to the World Cup Asian zone qualifying. In Jeddah also, the Saudi volleyball team will play against Syria. In Makkah, Saudi Arabian handball team open up against Lebanon and in basketball the Saudis will face Yemen in Madinah.
