Former national runner PLBS Peyadesa is honoured to be given the opportunity to be one of the torch bearers during the Asia Pacific Masters Games 2018 opening ceremony.
Peyadesa, together with fellow ex-national stars Datuk Zaiton Othman, SaikOik Cum and Cheng Chu Sian, took turns to carry the Games torch on a final lap around the running track before the cauldron was lit at the City Stadium in Georgetown last night.
āIt is an honour for me, and I did not hesitate to agree when I was requested to be one of the torchbearers at this Games. This is one of the proudest moments in my life.
āThe APMG 2018 is a good tournament which allows senior athletes to continue participating in international competitions. This is the first time such a multi-sport Masters event is held in Malaysia, and I hope there will be more competitions like this in the future,ā said Peyadesa.
The 71-year-old former Olympian from Penang represented the country in athleticsā 4x400m relay team together with Mohamed Hassan Osman, SabapathySinniah and Datoā T. Krishnan at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The quartet set a new national record with a 3:13.51 finish. Peyadesa is also a triple SEA Games gold medallist, having won the 400m and 4x400m events in the 1973 Singapore Games and the 4x400m relay in Kuala Lumpur four years later.
The inaugural APMG 2018, which is being held in Penang from 7-15 September, was officially declared open by the Tuan Yang Terutama Yang di-Pertua Negeri Pulau Pinang Tun Haji Abdul Rahman bin Abbas.
Also present at the ceremony were the Penang Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow, Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Steven Sim and the International Masters Games Association president Kai Holm.
The crowd had begun to fill up the stadium since 6pm, including the newly opened stand fronting Perak Road. They were joined shortly by more than a thousand runners who took part in the 5km APMG Opening Ceremony Run from Padang Kota to the stadium.
One of the highlights of the night was the athletesā parade. The 5,542 participants from a total of 64 countries marched in smartly according to their respective sports and not countries, in line with the common practice adopted in Masters Games.
The spectators were also treated to colourful performances titled āColors of Penangā by more than a thousand performers, who included school bands, school students, a boria troupe, and more than 200 performers from the āJabatanKebudayaan dan Kesenian Negaraā (JKKN) that were chosen from all around the country.
The official Games theme song āBeyond The Gamesāsung by popular singer and Penangite Dasha Logan had everyone grooving to the tunes.
The night came to an explosive end with a colourful fireworks display, which lit up the Penang skyline and evoked a thunderous applause from the crowd.
