Colourful ceremony
welcomes FIVB to Macau
 Macau,
China, July 23, 2005 - A colourful opening ceremony for the
Girls' Under 18 World Championship was staged at the new
Macau East Asian Games Dome on Saturday night.
After the 16 teams had been welcomed into the arena, the
players, VIPs, officials, volunteers and spectators were
treated to a traditional Chinese dragon and lion dance
around the court.
This was followed by a woodland drama staged by a team of
local schoolchildren, which drew warm applause from the
gathering.
FIVB Vice President Wei Jizhong was one of the 11 VIPs
introduced to the teams, and he praised Macau for organising
the ninth edition of the girls' youth championship.
"Macau has now become a well-known sports city, not only in
Asia but also in the world," he said, to loud cheers from
the stands. "We congratulate Macau."
The ceremony, however, was preceded by a minute's silence
for the victims of the bombing at Shamel Sheikh in Egypt.
The Egyptian team members here were spared any personal
tragedy, but this could not take away from the solemnity of
the occasion. |
Competition Formula