The atmosphere was just electric. And what’s more, the packed crowd just loved it all through the way. The opening ceremony of the 35th National Games undoubtedly was also a amazing story of people’s participation in large numbers.
This in spite of the odds that the people had to face. Getting to the Greenfield stadium in Karyavattom in order to get a close look of the new sporting edifice initially and breathe in all the glitter and glamour on show.
It was just a trickle at first but thereafter the numbers swelled as seat after seat of the 50,000-seater stadium were taken. The gates had been left open by 3 p.m. and several, much to their dismay, had to be turned away exactly ninety minutes later as the stadium was filled to the brim.
Entry to a new stadium by itself can well be daunting task, mostly due to the lack of familiarity on where to move around. But thankfully, there being signage to guide the spectators to their seats, with or without tickets, even a first time entrant was not thankfully lost in the byzantine of corridors of the stadium.
The more than 90-minute wait that they had to endure also did not go a waste as the spectators had their fill through and through the more than three hour long programme which was a trendy mix of sports protocol and diverse art forms.
Hardly anyone had any room for complaint.
Pavilion inaugurated
Staff Reporter adds: Chief Minister Oommen Chandy on Saturday inaugurated a pavilion jointly presented by the Forest Department and the Forest Research Centre in Peechi at the National Games Village in Menamkulam. Shashi Tharoor, MP, Minister for Sports Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan and others were present.
The Chief Minister also inaugurated the distribution of the special games kits prepared by the Information and Public Relations department. The publications of the PRD focussing on the games ‘Samakaalika Janapatham’ and ‘Kerala Calling’ were released.
