15th Asian Games: Doha 2006

The 15th Asian Games, officially known as the XV Asiad, was Asia’s Olympic-style sporting event that was held in Doha, Qatar, from Dec 1 to 15, 2006.

Doha was the first city in its region and only the second in West Asia (following Tehran in 1974) to host the games.

There were 46 disciplines from 39 events scheduled to be contested. It was the first time that all 45 member nations of the Olympic Council of Asia took part in this event. Also, Eurosport broadcast the event, marking the first time that people across the European continent could watch this Asian sporting event.

Emblem of the 15th Asian Games [Photo/ocasia.org]

The emblem of the 15th Asian Games captured “the essence of the Arabian peninsula”, which outlines the environment of the host city and highlights its natural features. The emblem looks like a running athlete. The emblem’s colors reflect the customs of Qatar. The color of yellow represents crescent dunes in the desert and blue represents the calm blue sea of the Persia Gulf. The sun comes from the logo of the Olympic Council of Asia.

Mascot of the 15th Asian Games [Photo/ocasia.org]

The mascot of the 15th Asian Games was a Qatari antelope named Orry. It wears a yellow tank top and blue shorts with the Asian Games sun logo on them. The Qatari antelope was a symbol of the young country and its young government.