The 11th South Asia Games...in Dhaka

The South Asia games are going on in Dhaka right now. I've been hearing about them pretty much since i got here, and i've seen snippets on TV. Last Friday when i went to church i saw a bunch of athletes in the lobby of the hotel where the church meets...that's when the fascination began.

Then, on Thursday night sheila and i met a friend for dinner, and we were waiting for her in that same hotel lobby. with a bit of time on our hands, and an information table at my disposal, i decided to see if i could find out where the games were being held, and a schedule of events (i'd already been told that they were free, and that you didn't need a ticket). so i bravely approached the table, and got a schedule for the day, and knew i could go back to get a schedule any other day too. (this was key, cause it listed the venues...well, i guess the events and times were pretty key too...)

i love to take advantage of "once in a lifetime opportunities" so sheila and i decided to make it happen. I looked on a map, found out roughly where we were going, and found out how long it should take, and how much it should cost.

we got to the stadium and saw the entrance, primarily men...we expected that...but decided to see if we could find a women's entrance. no luck. we did find 2 different VIP entrances though. we decided we'd have to go in the main entrance we'd seen, and then just find seats away from the crowd when we got in...but before i braved the crowd i wanted to be sure that we were about to enter the building we really wanted to be in. so i stopped and asked a man with credentials around his neck if the building had track...and he said yes...and then took us into the VIP section.

it was wonderful. there were coaches, trainers, athletes families, and lots of security officers in the section. so we got to sit and enjoy the games without having to worry about big crowds or people in our personal space.

AND i really enjoyed the games. we only saw the long jump, and the 400m hurdles, and quite a few awards ceremonies. it strikes a deep part of my heart/childhood...watching track and women's soccer...really, its a pretty good day in my book. (for those of you who don't know, my dad coached track and cross country at a small college when i was a child, and i went to meets all the time...and we'd watch track world championships and the Olympics pretty much anytime they were on, and i played soccer for many, many years....).

then we watched the first half of the Nepal vs. Pakistan women's soccer game. it was so fun to watch...and compare the level of play...and to explain to sheila basics of the game/strategy/skill level. at half time it was 4-0 (with Nepal leading). also...i was fascinated to see what women would wear to compete over here. the Nepali team wore "normal" uniforms, but the Pakistani team wore pants, and long sleeves.

When it was time to go we had a really hard time getting a "CNG" (mini-taxi)...and this really nice man came up and helped us get on, and even negotiated a great fare for us.

I just looked at the schedule of events for tomorrow...its pretty enticing...some great track events (high jump...the 5000m...and the 4x400 relays just to name a few), and the final for women's soccer (Nepal vs. India). Sheila and i are thinking about going...i mean...why not...except we're a bit worried that we had such a great experience yesterday, and tomorrow's might not be quite as nice...

all in all it was an absolutely fascinating adventure. so glad we did it!