Asian Games flame goes out due to technical problems

Asian Games cauldron lit during opening ceremony

Incheon, Sep 21 (IANS)

The Asian Games cauldron, a symbol of the athletic event that is supposed to be kept lit during the 16-day run here, temporarily went dark due to technical problems, organising committee officials said on Sunday.

The torch lost its flame around 11:40 p.m. Saturday after experiencing malfunctions in the cauldron that held the fire, but it was re-lit 10 minutes later, officials added, the Games site reported.

"It seems there were some technical problems (with the cauldron)," a committee official said, adding that the complicated structure of the flame in which a mixture of water and liquefied gas is used to create a fountain-shaped flame may have been the cause.

The Asiad here has already had its share of adventures, though Sunday is only the second day of full competition.

Early Saturday, the first round of the women's badminton team event was delayed after a power outage caused most of the lights and screens to go off for several minutes at Gyeyang Gymnasium.

Moreover, incorrect timetables have been published for shuttles to and from competition venues. At some arenas, signs in English or South Korean for shuttle bus stops haven't been made available.