An elegant white elephant and nearly 40 royal horses will highlight the opening ceremony of 24th Universiade on Aug. 8, which is an integral part of the Thai King's 80th birthday celebration this year.

"The white elephant is the symbol of our King, and the horses are chosen from the Royal Army. Army soldiers will wear the uniform to perform as riders," said Dr. Arthit Ovrairat, Director of Opening and Closing ceremonies.

The elephant will be accompanied by six guards in Thai traditional dresses, and the horses, carefully selected to ensure the elegant image, will march in alignment to lead the FISU flag as well as all the delegations into the stadium.

Dr. Ovrairat, also the President of Rangsit University of Thailand, added that the presence of royal animals was not only for the celebration of the King's birthday, but also aimed at showing the hosting country's respect for all the guests from all over the world.

It is estimated that there will be a total of 40,000 spectators present at the opening ceremony, among whom about 13,000 will be athletes and officials while most of the rest are local university students.

"Besides the royal animals, we will introduce parachute performance by 80 members of aviation institutions and four armed forces," the director disclosed.

The King of Thailand will celebrate his 80th birthday on Dec. 5 this year, and throughout the year, the whole country has been running all sorts of celebration events, including the Asian Football Cup and Universiade.

The 24th Universiade will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, from Aug. 8 to 18. About 160 countries and regions will be attending the 11-day international multi-sport games.

Source: Xinhua