South Korea has hosted an Olympics and two Asian Games in the past, hence Incheon will be efficient rather than extravagant. (Source: AP)

A giant screen at the Gwanghwamun square, the centre of Seoul, flashes a picture of triple Olympic champion shooter Jin Jong-Oh. His is the most-prominent frame on the massive montage of sporting greats that has gone up at the city’s most-famous high street to create the Asian Games buzz. This marketing ploy, however, hasn’t worked. Too occupied, boys with blonde streaks and girls wearing trendy leather boots don’t give the ace marksman a second glance. Asiad doesn’t seem to figure on their weekend plans.

Some 30-odd miles away, an elderly volunteer outside the Namdong Asiad Rugby Stadium is glued to an AFC Champions League semifinal between FC Seoul and Western Sydney Wanderers. Sitting on the sidewalk, braving the chill and puffs a cigarette, he seems oblivious of the South Korea vs India women’s football game being played just a few meters behind him.

The deathly silence on the deserted Incheon streets, too, barely gives a feeling that, in a couple of days, the city will be throwing a fortnight-long party for roughly 10,000 athletes. South Korea’s seemingly cold response to the continental Games, which begin Friday, has left many scratching their heads.

The usual razzmatazz that follows the Games may be missing thus far, but Incheon, in its own quiet and self-assured manner, looks ready to play the non-fussy, efficient host. Much of this surety comes from the experience of having hosted three multi-discipline events in the past — the 1988 Seoul Olympics apart from the 1986 and 2002 Asiads — apart from co-hosting the football World Cup 12 years ago.

Frugal, but friendly

And it reflects in the way they’ve gone about the business so far. Already dubbed as the ‘Frugal Games’, the organisers insist the emphasis is on creating a new, low-cost template that will serve as a blue-print for the future Games. At just over US$2 billion, the Incheon Games are costing roughly a tenth of what China spent on Guangzhou 2010, and all 49 venues here have been refurbished or built on time and within budget.

“We wanted to break away from the tradition of building costly stadiums and use it as a propaganda tool to showcase the nation’s strength and build national pride,” chief organiser Kim Yong Soo says. “It will be a more economical and efficient Asiad than before, and we hope the Asian Games in Incheon will provide a role model for other countries seeking to host it.”

Their austerity measures have also been mocked by the Chinese, who else. On Wednesday, while describing the preparations, a TV crew jokingly called the Games a ‘poor man’s Olympics.’ But the organisers are not worried about ‘what the world thinks.’ “Our athletes will give them a fitting reply on the field,” Soo retorts with a grin. That’s as far as it goes with wild promises organisers have made so far.

Gangnam opening

Even the opening ceremony is touted to be a low-key affair. The ceremony is likely to resemble a K-Pop concert, headlined by Psy who will belt out his Gangnam Style. “Our aim is deliver the perfect games. The sideshows don’t matter,” Soo adds.

Psy was brought in at the last moment to ensure there is global appeal to the ceremony, which was initially designed only to suit the domestic audience.

But none of these frugalities extend to the venues or facilities. Every tiny detail has been meticulously worked out — they even have a ‘Lost Children’ kiosk at the stadiums! The smiling, polite officials and volunteers add to intimacy.

You could not help but admire their efforts when the welcome message, “Bhartiya mitra, Incheon maam aapka swagat hao (sic),” flashed across the arrival hall minutes after an Air India flight touched down at the Incheon Airport.

The mood on the eve of the Games is not one of pomp, far from it instead. Nor are there any promises of delivering the best Games ever as well. “I am proud of making these low-key Games. These are not the Olympics. Let’s not treat them as one as well,” Soo says.