JAKARTA, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Sunday praised the opening ceremony of the 2018 Asian Games, saying it was a success.

"Yesterday we witnessed the first success of the Games, the opening ceremony," OCA President Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah said during the opening of the 37th OCA General Assembly here on Sunday.

Sheikh Ahmad said the opening ceremony was the first whistle for the race of the Games and he is very confident this success will continue.

The 18th Asiad opened amid a spectacular ceremony in Jakarta, capital of Indonesia on Saturday night. The 3-week Games is being co-hosted by Jakarta and Palembang, capital city of Indonesian South Sumatra Province.

Indonesia was selected four years ago to host the Games after Vietnam, the original host, pulled out due to financial setbacks.

"There were a lot of difficulties to reach that goal and prepare for the Games ... a lot has been changed and problems have been solved," Sheikh Ahmad said.

Indonesian Vice President Yusuf Kalla said at the assembly that the 18th Asiad was a symbol of the commitment of the people of Asia to build a better world and embrace the Olympic spirit, friendship, solidarity and fair play.

Featuring 465 events in 40 sports, the Asian Games is attracting more than 10,000 athletes.