Running gets tough for Indonesian athletes

Running gets tough for Indonesian athletes

Chiang Mai (DPA): The spicy food at the 18th Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai had 21 Indonesian athletes running the wrong kind of race this week.

The SEA Games doctor caring for the Indonesian team said food gave 21 of their 472-member team diarrhea.

The food was tested and found to be not contaminated. Officials, in fact, stressed that the food had been kept clean and healthy. But the doctor said the athletes were not used to so much spice.

They were eating Moslem food heavy on the Thai spice. Thai food is as well known for being spicy as it is delicious.

In any case, all the competitors were back on solid ground by Thursday and no sports events were affected by the athletes with the runs.

Meanwhile, Cambodia's Finest Hour finally arrived late Wednesday.

Players and officials on all ten teams competing in the regional version of the Olympic Games expressed relief that Cambodia has won its first medal, meaning that no nation will go home empty-handed.

Hour Nuth took the bronze medal in the 60-65 kilogram division of the judo competition. Indonesia's Wahid Yudhi Sulistianto won the gold and Malaysia's Thevaraj Kasivisvanathan took the silver.

Cambodia's team of 57 athletes is by far the smallest taking part in the nine-day event and it looks minuscule compared to the 640-strong army that host Thailand has fielded.

The next smallest team is Laos with 145 athletes who have so far won two bronze medals.