With 36 disciplines, 45 countries, 49 venues and 439 gold medals at stake, the 17th Asian Games kicked off with a grand opening ceremony in Incheon , South Korea which saw a colorful combination of Asian Culture, art and literature.

The 17th Asian Games Incheon 2014, commenced on Friday at the Incheon Stadium with massive crowd in attendance. The opening ceremony was held under the auspices of South Korean President Park Geun-hye.

A mammoth LED screen was in place at the venue so that the crowd did not miss any of the colourful details of the ceremony, which highlighted the rich cultural heritage of South Korea.

Commonwealth Gold Medalist, Weight-lifter Chinthana Geethal Vidanage led the Sri Lankan contingent into the packed arena with the Lankan flag flying high.

Subsequently, South Korean President Park Geun-hye declared the games open. This is incidentally the third occasion on which South Korea is hosting the Asian Games.

• Duty-Free shops at the Bandaranaike International Airport re-open today for passengers returned in March and May
• Sri Lankan national cricketer, Kusal Mendis arrested over an accident, to be produced in court today
• 57 suspects involved in financial fraud worth Rs. 110 million, arrested
• Academic activities resume at schools today: Ministry of Education
• Ballot papers of Postal voting to be distributed island-wide