The 3rd Asian Indoor Games 2009 which was held in Hanoi, Vietnam from October 30 to November 8 saw the participation of some 2000 athletes from 45 countries/regions in Asia. Athletes came from all across Asia (stretching from East Asia to West Asia) to compete in 25 sports in 215 medal events during the 10-day meet. Among the medals at stake were those for dancesport, dragon & lion dance, atheletics and martial arts. China topped the medal tally winning 48 golds, 25 silvers and 19 bronzes, followed closely by Vietnam with 42 golds, 30 silvers and 22 bronzes whilst Kazakhstan came in third with 21 golds, 16 silvers and 21 bronzes. Malaysia was in 15th place with 3 golds, 5 silvers and 8 bronzes which were won through dragon & lion dance, bowling, petanque and pencak silat (Malay martial arts).
In the dancesport events, medals were awarded for each individual dance. A total of 30 medals - 15 each for ballroom and Latin American were up for grabs. As expected, China and Japan dominated the dancesport events. Vietnam sprang a surprise by clinching third placing in the dancesport medal tally. The results of the dancesport events are:-
China - 5 golds, 2 silvers, 1 bronze
Japan - 3 golds, 2 silvers, 2 bronzes
Vietnam - 2 golds, 1 silver, 1 bronze
Korea - 4 silvers, 3 bronzes
Thailand - 1 silver
Chinese Taipei, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan - 1 bronze each
Are we seeing the emergence of Vietnam as a dancesport rising star in Asia? The Central Asian Republic of Kazakhstan which was expected to perform well in dancesport could not deliver the goods. At the last games in Macau in 2007, Kazakhstan came in third, bagging 2 golds and 3 silver medals. This time, Kazakhstan could only managed one bronze. Maybe, Kazakhstan did not send their best dancers for this meet. Kyrgyzstan, which lies to the south of Kazakhstan also won a bronze. Like its neighbour Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan also has a sizeable Russian minority. Russians make up 9% or roughly half a million of the country's estimated population of 5.5 million people. Hopefully, the Central Asian countries will be able to bring some excitement and glasnost (publicity) to dancesport in Asia.
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> Kazakhstan - A Rising Star In Dancesport
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