Nations participating 11 Opening ceremony 20 January 2008 Officially opened by Surayud Chulanont | Events 486 in 14 sports Closing ceremony 26 January 2008 | |
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Motto Friendship, Equality, Opportunity | ||
The 2008 ASEAN Para Games, officially known as the 4th ASEAN Para Games, was a multi-sport event held in Thailand's Nakhon Ratchasima province from 20 to 26 January 2008 for athletes with physical disabilities from ASEAN member nations. This was the sixth time Thailand host the Southeast Asian Games, but its first as host of the ASEAN Para Games.
Contents
Delegations from Southeast Asian countries participated the games which contested 14 sports with 486 gold medals won by participating athletes. The 4th ASEAN Para Games sports included archery, athletics, badminton, boccia, chess, fencing, goalball, judo, powerlifting, shooting, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis. With the previous edition, the 2005 ASEAN Para Games being held in Manila, Philippines, Thailand is the fourth nation to host the games after Malaysia, Vietnam and the Philippines.
The final medal tally was led by host Thailand, followed by Malaysia and Vietnam. Several Asian, games and national records were broken during the games. The games were deemed generally successful with the rising standard of disabled sports competition amongst the Southeast Asian nations.
Venues
The 4th ASEAN Para Games had 14 venues for the games.
Logo and mascot
The logo of the 2008 ASEAN Para Games is the Chumpol Gate, a historical place in Nakorn Ratchasima, Thailand. Chumpol Gate represents victory. It also denotes the exquisite Thai art and culture. Curvy blue and red lines represent the pageantry of fluttering flags leading eager, excited athletes marching into the stadium. The ASEAN Para Sports Federation logo sits in the center of the emblem, representing friendship and co-operation between participants from ASEAN countries.
The mascot of the 2008 ASEAN Para Games, is a type of dove named Nok-Khao karom which is recognised as a symbol of Nakhon Ratchasima Province. Nok-Khao Karom is a local animal name of Nakhon Ratchasima for dove. Karom is described as a wise, cheerful, gentle, and friendly, reflecting the characteristics of Thai people. The name of the dove is also the abbreviation of the games' values namely, Kind, Appreciation, Reliable, Optimistic, and Manners.
Opening ceremony
The opening ceremony was held at the 80th Birthday Stadium on 20 January 2008 at 20:00 (TST). The games was declared opened by Thai Prime Minister Surayud Chulanont.
Closing ceremony
The closing ceremony was held at the 80th Birthday Stadium on 26 January 2008 at 20:00 (TST). The ASEAN Para Games responsibilities was officially handed over to Malaysia, host of the 2009 ASEAN Para Games after Laos, the host of the 2009 Southeast Asian Games, declined to host the games, citing financial difficulties.
Medal table
A total of 1050 medals comprising 486 gold medals, 320 silver medals and 244 bronze medals were awarded to athletes. The Host Thailand's performance was their best ever yet in ASEAN Para Games History and emerged as overall champion of the games.
* Host nation (Thailand)