The King of Thailand will declare the Asian Games open later today in a lavish ceremony at the main stadium but celebrations have already begun in the capital, Bangkok.

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A royal flame lit by the King of Thailand earlier in the week is being carried by a procession of runners through the streets of Bangkok towards the sports stadium where the opening ceremony will be held later on Sunday.

The prime minister Chuan Leekpai, dressed in a tracksuit, led the run which started near the royal palace and is being carried on by a succession of dignatories, former athletes and representatives of Thailand's 76 provinces.

For the final stage, the flaming torch will be carried by Somluck Kamsing, a boxer who won Thailand's first and only Olympic gold medal in Atlanta two years ago.

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The stadium is expected to be packed with 60,000 spectators for the opening ceremony, which will feature 8,000 performers. The theme is "friendship beyond frontiers" and will mix traditional Thai music and dancing with more modern forms.

The athletes from 41 countries will parade around the track and the King of Thailand will officially declare the Games open and after eight years of preparation, the 13th Asian Games will be underway.

Of those countries qualified to take part, only Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia will be missing.

But as is now often the case at major sporting events, competition started ahead of the grand opening. Preliminary football matches have already been played and the first of the 377 gold medals to be awarded here has been won by Japan.