Thai rules for SEA games queried

JAKARTA (JP): The National Sports Council (KONI) questioned the motives behind Thailand's applying rules different from internationally-accepted regulations in the upcoming 18th Southeast Asian Games in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

One of the different rules is that the rhythmic gymnastics event will offer seven gold medals rather than only one as usual.

"The rhythmic gymnastic event requires the gymnast to perform seven movements for one gold medal, never seven gold medals for each movement," said Moch. Hindarto, KONI's training director.

Hindarto acknowledged that Thailand gymnasts were better than Indonesia's. They came out number one in the Southeast Asian junior rhythmic gymnastic championships here last April.

But he said that multiplying the number of gold medals was not fair. He speculated that the Thai's were simply trying to guarantee they would take as many gold medals as possible.

Another unusual ruling is found in the diving event. International rules requires two teams of judges for performance appraisal and each athlete is required to dive 10 times.

But Thailand requires each athlete to dive only eight times and has only one team of judges, Hindarto said.

"We have sent a letter questioning such rules and asking Thailand to stick to the international rules," he said, declining to refer to it as a letter of protest.

Responding to the worries of the Indonesian Shooting Association that Thailand will drop some shooting events at which Indonesia excels, Hindarto said Thailand could not do so without permission.

Events agreed upon previously by the organizing committee cannot be omitted easily, he added.

Thailand recently deleted two athletic events, the men's 10km walk and women's 20km walk, from the list, citing traffic jams as the reason.

Unlike the other SEA Games bound teams, which are to go to Chiang Mai on Dec. 6, the national soccer team is scheduled to go earlier, on Dec. 1, because the competition will take place on Dec. 3.

The Chiang Mai SEA Games will last from Dec. 9 to Dec. 17.

For the qualifying rounds, Indonesia's soccer team has been put in Group A, together with Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam. Group B consists of Myanmar, Singapore, Laos, Brunei and the Philippines.

Indonesia will take on Thailand on Dec. 4. However, the All- Indonesia Soccer Association, as well as four other sports associations, have yet to name the athletes they will field at the Games. (arf)