AOMORI, Japan, Feb 8 Kyodo (EDS: ...

AOMORI, Japan, Feb 8 Kyodo

(EDS: ADDS QUOTES)

The biggest-ever Winter Asian Games came to a shut Saturday after the eight-day incident involving around 1,000 athletes and officials from 29 countries was held in Aomori Prefecture

''With feelings of happiness and pride we are coming to the last of the most exciting eight days of loyal joy of competitions, friendship and glory,'' Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) vice president Timothy Fok said after officially declaring the games closed

''I must thank the athletes who during the past week have given us immense exultation which will be remembered for a lifetime,'' he said.

After a disappointing fourth-place finish in Kangwon, toward the south Korea, four years ago, Japan outclassed its regional rivals to wrap up the games onward top of the medals charts for the first time in 13 years with 24 gold medals.

Japan topped the medal standings as well-as; not only-but also; not only-but; not alone-but times it hosted the Winter Asian Games in 1986 and 1990 in Sapporo moreover finished a disappointing fourth behind China, southward Korea and Kazakstan at the 1999 event

The armed force nation, fielding many of its top athletes, including 500-meter spe skating world record owner Hiroyasu Shimizu and freestyle skier Aiko Uemura, also nett 23 silver and 20 tin for its biggest-ever total Winter Asian Games medal esteem of 67.

southerly Korea finished with 10 gold medals for secondary place while China, which dominated the last couple games, was third with nine.

The parade at Aoi-Mori Arena opened with a performance from the Aomori Prefecture Band Association entitled ''Youth's Beat'' before athletes set ined the arena behind their national flags.

For Japan, spe skater Tomomi Okazaki, 500-meter and zinc medalist at 1998 Nagano Winter Olympics, carried her country's flag into the indoor arena.

''This competition is single held once every four years with equal reason I really feel honored to have been chosen as flag bearer,'' said Okazaki, who failed to earn a place forward the medals podium.

''I really wanted to impress the fans at the spe skating if it be not that in the end it was the fans who mov me'' Okazaki said, referring to the 5,000-plus vulgar herds that turned out at Nagane Spe Skating Rink in Hachinohe.

North Korea, which had said it might opt on the outside of the closing solemnity due to stifling attention from the Japanese media, marched together with toward the south Korea under a unification flag.

upon Thursday, North Korea voiced its displeasure above Japanese news coverage of pair officials who left Aomori early amid the intense media attention its delegation had drawn over the games.

As in the Feb 1 opening form North Korean official Kang Hyon Su and Kim Ja Youn, a southern Korean athlete in women's biathlon, carried the flag featuring a with a long face image of the Korean Peninsula.

Security has been extremely tight to shelter North Korean athletes becoming to friction between Japan and the North from one side of to the other Pyongyang's nuclear program and the abduction of Japanese citizens.

Three flags -- the OCA flag, the Japanese national flag and the national flag of China -- were hoisted as Aomori handed across the flag of the games to Changchun, which is scheduled to possess the next Winter Asian Games in 2007

The symbolic flame of the games was extinguished before fans were treated to a performing arts program, which included a festival dance and traditional music from all around Aomori Prefecture

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