Foreign fans wave flags for their athletes
Foreign fans wave flags for their athletes
By Emmy Fitri
JAKARTA (JP): Crowd support can make all the difference in a
tense game, but who is cheering on the foreign contingents in
these Games in their quest for gold?
A familiar face at the event is Lydia de Vega, formerly the
queen of the 100 meters dash (her decade-old record still
stands). Now a sports broadcaster for a private television
station in Manila, she took time out to support the Philippine
athletics squad yesterday.
"I love being here because, at the same time, I can encourage
my juniors to run faster and to jump higher."
No group of Philippine fans has come over specially for the
Games, she said. "Our supporters are the fellow athletes, they
give support to each other."
Lydia mentioned David Yos Bunevacz, who enlisted the support
of his family.
"David brought his parents, his aunts and his girlfriend, who
is a Filipina actress," she said.
There may not be any organized fan groups from the different
countries, but expatriates residing in Jakarta and journalists
working during the Games have come out in force for their teams.
Suchela Phacaiyapoom, a Thai TV reporter, said she made time
for her compatriots. "I don't care whether we win or lose, the
thing is I like to give them support."
Team officials are not just her to hobnob during the events.
The president of the Malaysian amateur sport association, Datuk
Khalid Yunus, said he came to Jakarta to lend the athletes his
personal encouragement.
There had not been organization of a special fan trip, he
said, because "our country can's afford that, we're not a rich
country.
"I know some Malaysians came to Jakarta to support our team,
but of their own willingness because nobody financed them".
Vietnamese sports officer Ting Nguyen Ba said about 30 to 40
people accompanied him to the Senayan Complex for the women's
soccer team against Indonesia. Nearly all were athletes on their
time off.
Myanmar's volleyball player Tin Win Aung also came with 20
people yesterday to wave the flag for his country's soccer team.
They handed out flags to other spectators and sounded their
support with traditional musical instruments.