 This was followed by youngsters from ASPIRE, who raced around the stadium chasing Orry, the Games’ mascot to represent Qatar’s bid to make the country the sports capital of the Middle East.The ceremony started with the welcome of Emir of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, OCA chairman Sheikh Ahmed Al-Fahad and their wives into the stadium.After that, a 10-second countdown projection on the stadium floor began to signal the starting of the opening ceremony.