We delivered a flying system, six perimeter stage lifts and a huge scenic centrepiece for the opening ceremony of the 5th Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games hosted in the Turkmenistan capital, Ashgabat. Working in ferocious heat, our crew installed a radial catenary and fifty tonne 30m truss ring, housing winches and lighting, complete with a 100m-long access gantry for crew and performers.

The sculpture of legendary figure Oguz Han was manufactured to fit within the restricted 10m pit beneath the stage. It emerged, however, to stand 20m tall. The combination of carved polystyrene, fabric and inflatable elements created a stunning, fully robed and seamless figure, hands grasping a vast bow and arrows, huge inflatable horns flanking the base.

Although no strangers to extreme conditions, managing the impact of extreme heat on steelwork, kit and scenery became a day-to-day necessity for our crew as temperatures inside the black-floored stadium even began to soften polystyrene.