Maldives Promotion House – The Opening Ceremony of the 2013 Mini Olympic Games took place on the morning of 1^st July on the newly built football field at Anantara Kihavah Villas, Maldives. The event combined the formal and ceremonial opening of this international sporting event, including welcoming speeches, hoisting of the flags and parades of resort associates, with an artistic spectacle to showcase the host resort’s culture. The Games were opened by the Anantara’s Area Director of Human Resources, Ali Riza and Lionel Valla, the resort General Manager. Among the VIP guests were Ali Shameem, Director of Ministry of Human Resources Youth & Sports, Mohamed Riyaz , President of Maldives Volleyball Association, and Ali Ilyaz, Vice-President of Maldives Volleyball Association.

The ceremony began at 4:00 pm and both the resort guests and visitors could watch the associates participating in activities as kayaking, swimming, pillow fight, sack race, treasure hunt, badminton, table tennis, billiards, coconut grinding, egg-and-spoon race, darts,  coconut husk removal, night fishing and volleyball.

The event lasted for seven days and 70% of the resort associates participated in the 2013 Mini Olympic Games, which was a tremendous success praised by numerous guests and visitors. Anantara Kihavah Villas’ team has already started planning the Mini Olympic Games for 2014 and hopes to involve other resorts in the Baa atoll as well.