Thailand bows to prospect of Indonesia winning title
Thailand bows to prospect of Indonesia winning title
As part of our coverage of the SEA Games, The Jakarta Post
is running a profile of each of the 10 participating countries.
The story below is the seventh in the series.
JAKARTA (JP): Thailand is bracing itself for the 19th SEA
Games like a wise knight; it prefers to make a retreat for a big
leap.
Shortly after a deafening victory celebration in Chiang Mai
two years ago, Thailand decided not to push ahead with the
ambition of being number one at this year's SEA Games.
"We are looking ahead to the Asian Games," Thailand's SEA
Games contingent chief Charouk Arrirachakaran said on his arrival
Wednesday.
"We aim to grab 100 gold medals, leaving the rest of the gold
medals for Indonesia," he said, adding that the chances were
better for host Indonesia to finish first this year.
Thailand is the only country which has managed to beat
Indonesia in the SEA Games forum.
Host Thailand took the most medals in the 18th Games two years
ago with 157 golds, 98 silvers and 91 bronzes.
Indonesia ranked a distant second with 77 golds, 67 silvers
and 77 bronzes.
Thailand's victory in Chiang Mai snapped Indonesia's winning
run since 1987.
Thailand also beat Indonesia in the 1985 Games in Bangkok to
end Indonesia's domination since 1977.
Charouk said the likelihood of Indonesia winning the medals
race was so great because the host had added some sports which
had been left out of the previous meet.
A total of 34 sports will be contested during this year's
Games, compared to 28 in Chiang Mai.
"We can't do anything. It's the right of the host country (to
decide the number of contested sports). We just follow what the
host wants," he said.
Fight
Charouk however promised that his squad would fight to the
limit to show its best during the Games.
He said that instead of pursuing the top spot, the Thais would
concentrate more on breaking SEA Games records and preparing for
the Asian Games they are to host next year.
"There are some sports where our team expects to break records
of not only the SEA Games but Asian Games as well, particularly
in swimming and track and field," he said.
"How can we excel in the Asiad if we fail to break records in
an event with a much lower standard, such as the SEA Games," he
added.
The secretary-general of Thailand's athletics association, Am
Anawin Bakdeejit, said he was optimistic that Thailand would grab
14 out of the 45 golds on offer in the SEA Games track and field
competition.
"We have set a lower target than our achievement in Chiang
Mai, mainly because we have to fight a strong Malaysia," he said.
He played down Indonesia's challenge, however, saying that the
host country would manage only a few golds in track and field.
In Chiang Mai, Thailand's track and field team romped home
with 21 gold medals.
Anawin predicted Malaysia would also get 14 gold medals from
athletics, saying the Kuala Lumpur team was good in the men's 400
meters and men's 100 meters.
He said he expected golds from a variety of events,
particularly shot put, the sprints and the decathlon.
In shot put, Thailand will feature its best throwers
Wunsanwang Sawusdee in the men's division and Juthaporn Kasaeyan
in the women's category.
Wansanwang has recorded a best throw of 17.60 meters, while
Juthaporn threw 16.66 meters recently in practice.
An official from Thailand's badminton body, Vanchai
Sansaniyakulvilai, said he believed star-studded Indonesia would
sweep all the seven gold medals in the sport.
He said he would be satisfied if his shuttlers even reached
the semifinals. (jsk)