David Atkins, artistic director of Doha Asiad opening ceremony, said
yesterday that the opening ceremony of the flamboyant celebration at the Khalifa
Stadium of Sport City in Doha is "a miracle".
"I think we managed to pull off nothing short of a miracle in terms of the
conditions that prevailed," said Atkins.
"I had some incredibly brave performers who operated flying objects 50 meters
above the stadium and they were still prepared to do that as part of their
commitment to the ceremony.
"We had gusting, 15 meters per second, 15-20 knot winds through the flying
zone."
Atkins admitted it's a surprise for the sudden torrential rain at the night.
"We have been here for two years and it's rained twice and it rained four times
during the ceremony," Atkins said.
Key performer Adel Al-Ansari revealed the difficulty of performing in the
stormy weather. "In the beginning I was so scared about the pressure, but I just
hoped to finish my obligation. To be honest, on the top I was freezing and
could't breathe," Al-Ansari said.
