Tears of joy as Basra puts on memorable Arabian Gulf Cup opening ceremony

BASRA: After hours of anticipation, the lights of the majestic Basra International Stadium switched off, stunning the audience into silence. Collectively, they held their breath in suspense for the opening ceremony of the 25th Arabian Gulf Cup in Iraq.

If the tournament being held in Iraq symbolized Iraq’s return to the global stage, then the ceremony certainly left its own indelible mark.

“I was surprised at what I saw,” said Khalid Al-Hiddi, an Omani football analyst for Bein Sports and Kass TV. “We were not expecting this from Iraq,” Al-Hiddi added. “This high level of technology, art and design was so impressive and was able to welcome us into Iraq’s rich culture.”

For more than an hour, viewers from across the world were left dazzled by a laser, fireworks and light show, including pitch-sized projections and live music and dance performances from some of Iraq’s most famous artists. The choreography alone to achieve such a complicated show should be commended.

The ceremony will live in the memory long after the 0-0 draw between Iraq and Oman that followed is forgotten.

On a personal note, I was incredibly moved by the powerful spectacle of seeing Iraq so beautifully celebrated in all its glory. I was immediately taken back to the series of recent mass public events that I have witnessed in Iraq and remembered how each had been for negative occasions — either for commemorating mass deaths from devastating car bombs or protesting about Iraq’s corrupt political elite.

Given the recent grievances, the unapologetic, pure joy this ceremony brought, with Iraq flags proudly waving across the stadium, immediately brought a tear to my eye and many around me.

The ceremony focussed on telling the story of Iraq through