The BBC's Harry Peart at the opening ceremony in Bangkok: "Magnificent display"

King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the world's longest-reigning monarch, declared 15 days of competition between 41 countries open on Sunday afternoon.

But he was slightly upstaged by Japan's Naoko Takahashi. In a marathon run in early morning, to avoid the worst of Bangkok's tropical heat, she won the games' first gold medal in a time just 59 seconds outside the world record.

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During eight years of preparation for these games there had been many gloomy predictions that there would be chaos, but on the day the main stadium came alive with music, dancing and colour.

Eight thousand performers took part, including a children's choir and a 96-piece marching band. The king himself wrote two of the songs.

Beauty queens led all the teams

The flags of the 41 teams taking part were paraded around the stadium by Thai beauty queens. Six of them later collapsed in the tropical heat.

Earlier the organisers had said the Iranian team would be led in by a man in deference to its conservative sensibilities. No explanation was given for the change.

Over the next two weeks of competition 377 gold medals will be won.

The theme of the games is friendship beyond frontiers, while the centrepiece was the lighting of the flame at the stadium which will burn throughout the games. The flame was lit from a torch that was carried by a procession of runners around the city.

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The first leg of the relay was taken by 60-year-old Thai Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai who, dressed in a brilliant white tracksuit, made quite an impression on the celebrating crowd.

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

There was also rapturous applause for women's marathon gold medal winner Naoko Takahashi.

Naoko Takahashi broke all the rules of marathon running

In a race that started at 6.30am to avoid Bangkok's tropical midday heat, she ignored her coach's advice and ran from the front all the way finishing in 2hrs 21mins 47secs - the fifth fastest women's time ever.

Takahashi, 26, was urged on by her parents through heat which reached 28C (82F) and 90% humidity. "I'd never experienced such hot weather in a competition before," she said.

Over the next two weeks of competition 377 gold medals will be won.

The declaration by the king, that the games are officially open, ends a long period of uncertainty for the organisers headed by the deputy prime minister.