Indonesia has yet to add medals; SEAG set to kick off
Indonesia has yet to add medals; SEAG set to kick off
Musthofid The Jakarta Post Hanoi
The phoney war is over and the battle for gold medal honors begins in earnest Friday with the formal opening of the 22nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam.
However, after an impressive start in the pre-opening ceremony competition, Indonesia failed to add another medal to its collection on Thursday, which offered two golds in gymnastics and archery.
Kuswantoro took to the archery field as Indonesia's best hope only to tumble in the quarterfinals. He failed to take up where his Indonesian teammate Rina Puspita Dewi left off. Rina earned Indonesia's 878-strong contingent's first medal at the regional sporting event, which is being staged in Vietnam for the first time.
Jonathan Sianturi's competition experience proved not enough to set his young team up as a strong medal contender. The Thai team triumphed over Malaysia and the Philippines while Indonesia was left in fourth place.
The tournament is not officially open yet, but Indonesia's hopes for its first soccer gold medal since 1991 appear doomed after Bambang Pamungkas and his teammates were outsmarted 0-1 by Vietnam at the My Dinh Stadium.
Indonesia could still qualify for the next round provided it beats Thailand in the final match in Group A.
The Games also saw water polo, rowing and boxing events on Thursday. Goals were in abundance as Indonesia's water polo team was held to a 12-12 draw by the Philippines at the Aquatics Center, giving it an edge for medal contention after scoring two wins and one loss.
The qualifying competition for rowing began at the West Lake north of Hanoi. Meanwhile, Ho Chi Minh City saw only boxing as the first competition held out of 11 sports to be staged in the city, located 1,300 kilometers south of Hanoi.
As of 11 p.m. six categories in the boxing had been staged. Piter Samuel was the only Indonesian casualty. Playing in the 45 kilogram category, Piter was defeated by Vongpakhoun Sikham of Laos. The other five Indonesians -- Hermensen Ballo (51kg), Marwan Muling (60kg), Wilem Papilaya (64kg), Regues Christoper (69kg) and Benny Elo Pere (75kg) -- won their quarterfinal bouts.
After a week of pre-opening ceremony competition, regional heavyweights Malaysia and Thailand embark on their campaigns to repeat their high-flying performances two years ago in Kuala Lumpur.
Then, Malaysia took top spot on the gold medal table snaring 111 golds to Thailand's 103 and it is expected to be a close race again with hosts Vietnam and Indonesia chasing hard on their heels.
Fledgling nation East Timor makes its SEA Games debut, but gaining experience in the international sporting arena is more likely to top the agenda of its 22-member squad than the medal hunt.
In total, more than 5,000 athletes and coaches from 11 countries are taking part, many of whom will appear in Friday evening's opening ceremony at My Dinh stadium.
According to official figures, Vietnam has spent US$350 million in preparation for its turn in the regional sports spotlight, including building 36 stadiums, arenas and training centers, and upgrading old facilities.