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Summary About 3,000 athletes from 21 countries will compete in 33 events in the 12th edition of the games.
With fireworks and processions of flag-waving athletes, nations from around the Middle East and North Africa came together Friday to open the Arab Games, an event that has added symbolic power after a year of enormous political upheaval in the Arab world.The wealthy Gulf nation of Qatar is hosting this years games, giving it a chance to showcase its sports infrastructure ahead of 2022s football World Cup, which will be staged here.Organizers also hope the Dec. 9-23 event will inspire a sense of unity amid the uprisings that have toppled autocratic leaders in the region and carved deeper divisions between some nations. Syria was notably absent after its government chose to boycott the games to protest Arab League sanctions over the regimes bloody crackdown on protesters.The lavish opening ceremony included dance performances, poetry recitals and other artistic shows meant to convey the message of peace and unity, said David Atkins, executive producer and artistic director of the opening ceremony.About 3,000 athletes from 21 countries will compete in 33 events in the 12th edition of the games.The Arab Games, the regions biggest sporting event, are connected to the 22-member Arab League. The event is the creation of Abdulrahman Hassan Azzam, the first general-secretary of the Arab League. The games were first held in the Egyptian city of Alexandria in 1953.It is the first Gulf nation to host the Arab Games. Just a year ago, it became the first Arab country to win the rights to host the World Cup, the biggest prize for sporting events. Qatar is also bidding for the 2020 Olympics.
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