DOHA, Qatar _ Qatar has spent billions of dollars bringing the Asian Games to the Arab world for the first time. It hopes part of the return on its investment is an improved perception from the West.

Sheikh Mohammad Bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatar's equestrian team captain, holds the Asian Games torch as he rides a purebred Arab gelding past the flags of countries participating in the Games during the opening ceremony of the 15th Asian Games at Khalifa Stadium in Doha December 1, 2006. [Reuters]

The 15th Asian Games started Friday with the opening ceremonies, featuring thousands of artists in glittering costumes and a dazzling fireworks production.

More than 10,000 athletes from 45 countries and state are competing across the 39 sports, including athletes from 11 Arab states as well as the Palestinian Authority.

"Organizing such a huge tournament in an Arab country for the first time sends a message to the whole world that Arab states have the human and financial resources to receive the largest championships," said Ahmed Abdulla Al Khulaifa Deputy-Director General of the Asian Games Organizing committee.

Qatari poet and writer Radi Ajlan sees the games as "an opportunity for Arabs to show their talents and give a good representation of their countries."

"We want them to show the real image of the Arabs not the image that is in the minds of many westerners," Ajlan said. He added that now that the state of Qatar did a great job in organizing the games its the athletes who should continue the good job.

Many Arabs feel that westerners treat them with suspicion after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington when 19 Arabs hijacked four jetliners and carried out the deadliest attack in America in decades.

"These games are the mirror that will reflect the real face of the Arabs and Asians," said al-Nasser.

Qatar has close ties with America, hosting the U.S. military command running the Iraq war at the sprawling Al-Udeid Airbase.

It also has strong relations with its neighbors in the region, and gained high-level support at the games.

Iran's hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh joined several other Mideast leaders at the Games' opening ceremony, Qatar's official news agency said.

Syrian President Bashar Assad, Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Kuwait's Prime Minister Nasser al-Hamad Al Sabah also were among the other leaders who arrived in the Gulf country.

"This tournament will give a very shinning and positive image of Arab countries in general and Qatar in particular," said Al Khulaifa of the games organizing committee.

On a purely sports front, many Arabs expect having home advantage should translate to more medals.

"We wish the Arabs will win lots of medals during this tournament. I also hope that my country, Lebanon, wins more than the one medal it won in the latest Asian Games," said Cesar Touma, a Lebanese living in Qatar since 2003.

The operations manager at a coffee shop chain was referring to the solitary gold medal that Lebanon won during the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.

Among the Arab athletes expected to do well are Syria's Nasser al-Shami, a bronze-medal winning boxer from the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

Host country Qatar had a setback when Saif Saeed Shaheen, world record holder in the 3,000-meter steeplechase, withdrew this week because of an Achilles tendon injury. Shaheen was born in Kenya but has won two world championship titles for Qatar.

Other world-class athletes competing for Qatar include 10,000-meter runner Nicholas Kemboi, and marathon and long distance runners Shami Mubarak Shami and Abdullah Ahmed Hassan.

Qatar's Nada Zeidan, the first Muslim Arab woman to compete at the Asian Games, will be aiming to win an archery medal this year after finishing forth at the Busan Games in 2002.

Other Arab medal contenders include world champion Rashid Ramzi, of Bahrain who became during last year's World Athletics Championships in Finland the first athlete to win the 800 meters and 1,500 meters double.

Kuwait's swimmer, Mansoor al-Mansour who won seven gold medals at the 3rd West Asian Games in Doha last year, will be watched closely on what he will achieve for his country.

Saudi Arabia, the Arab country that won the largest number of gold medals in the last Asian Games, has high hopes for Mashed al-Oteibi who won the 5,000- and 10,000-meters at Busan.

Of the 1,350 medals won during the Asian Games in Busan, Arabs only won 52, including 17 of the 427 golds.