SEA Games still important to Thailand

JAKARTA (JP): Despite its ambition to finish fifth in the 1998 Asian Games in Bangkok, Thailand still sees the SEA Games as the most important sports event.

"The SEA Games are still important because it emphasizes on the friendship among Southeast Asian countries," said Gen. Chetta Thanajaro, Thailand's National Olympic Committee president, yesterday.

Chetta, who is also Thailand's Army Chief, said that although Thailand is concentrating to fulfill its ambition in the Asian Games it still sends its best team in the 19th SEA Games.

"We still send our best team here. It's just the results were not as we expected. We should get, at least, 80 golds," he said, adding that he was not disappointed with the results.

"It depends on how our athletes are doing on the fields. But Indonesian athletes are doing very good," he said. "Thailand will try to do better in the next SEA Games and the Asian Games."

Chetta declined to give any comments on the judging during the Games.

"I haven't seen by my own eyes if there are any unfair judgment. I just read from newspapers, but not Indonesian newspapers, that mention about the judging," he said.

"We don't have any complain or protest about it. If we lose, we lose. If we win, we win."

Chetta said generally Indonesia has staged a good event this year.

"Of course there are some cases but that's quite ordinary in many events. Some things are good, some are not."

Chetta called host country to stage only 28 sports events in the next SEA Games.

"Staging 34 event in the next Games is too much. The number must be limited. We must concentrate only on Olympic events. However, we must still feature traditional sports in the biennial event," he said.

The call was made earlier by Indonesia State Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono Isman last week in an informal meeting with ASEAN representatives to popularize Southeast Asian traditional sports, including Pencak Silat and Thai Boxing. (yan)