The New Zealand delegation showed their passion by performing haka at their national flag-raising ceremony in the Olympic Village on Wednesday.

Seeing their national flag flying in the air, the Kiwis performed their traditional dance haka, with loud chants and orderly gestures, which surprised all the spectators and lighted the ceremony up.

Alison Fitch, an official with the delegation, said that the haka was very popular in New Zealand on important occasions and all the national teams would perform haka before the opening of the sport events.

They performed haka here to show their excitement and celebration, she noted.

A haka is a traditional dance of the Maori people of New Zealand. It is a posture dance with shouted accompaniment, performed by a group. It was originally performed by warriors before a battle, proclaiming their strength and prowess in order to intimidate the opposition.

Nowadays, haka constitute an integral part of formal or official welcome ceremonies for distinguished visitors or foreign dignitaries.

New Zealand sends a 305-member delegation to the Beijing Olympics, including 187 athletes.

Dave Currie, Chef de Mission, said they are strong in sports like rowing and triathlon, but they did not have a medal target. "We just want to do well," he said.

New Zealand first sent athletes to the 1908 Olympic Games in London and has collected 77 medals ever since. They claimed three golds and two silvers at 2004 Athens Olympics.

(Xinhua News Agency August 7, 2008)