The rout in Brunei

The rout in Brunei

Although there are two more days and a handful of gold medals
to go before the Southeast Asian Games (SEA) Games wind up in
Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, it is safe to assume that Indonesia
has lost its claim as the preeminent sporting power in the
region. Indonesia, which really should have held on to the title
simply based on the sheer size of its population relative to
other countries in the region, will be lucky to even finish
second in the Games' medal tally. Thailand has made an extremely
strong showing in Brunei, taking the most gold medals, and
Malaysia has also been impressive in taking the second most
medals as of Friday night.

Two years ago Indonesia basked in glory as it ran away with
the championship at the SEA Games staged in Jakarta. This year,
Indonesia has not only been beaten black-and-blue by Thailand and
Malaysia, but has also been foiled by smaller countries dashing
its hopes for gold. The rout is complete considering Indonesian
athletes fared particularly poorly in the track and field and
swimming events, both considered the major Olympic sports.
Indonesia has also disappointed in pencak silat, the martial art
Indonesia has long claimed as its own, and the prestigious soccer
event, going down in the semifinals at the hands of Vietnam.

Besides being a major source of national pride, the biennial
Games have traditionally been a springboard for our athletes to
the international sporting arena. Going by the poor showing of
most of our athletes, this will not be the case this year. Most
of the athletes had better forget about the 2000 Sydney Olympics,
which is rather unfortunate since it will be years before the
world's biggest sporting event is again staged anywhere near our
home soil. Because of the proximity, Sydney would have been an
ideal opportunity for Indonesia to showcase the nation's
excellence in sports.

Being the largest country in Southeast Asia, Indonesia should
also take the lion's share of the blame for fielding second-
string athletes in a number of events, or, in some cases, for not
fielding any athletes at all. This disappointing level of
participation has diminished the value and prestige of the Games.

Organizers have already lowered qualifying requirements in a
number of events in order to attract more participants, but some
sports were still forced to go ahead with only two or three
contestants. Besides being a show of disrespect to host Brunei,
this attitude endangers the future of the Games, raising
questions about the commitment of countries in the region to the
event. This could also discourage other small countries from
hosting the Games in the future.

As we lick our wounds after the rout in Brunei, there must be
an official inquiry into the reasons for this utter failure.
Heads must also roll after what must be considered a major
national embarrassment. We cannot recall ever hearing our sports
officials warn about possible stiff competition from Thailand and
Malaysia, or any other countries for that matter, in Brunei.
Considering that most of our sports associations are managed by
top military officials, this says a lot about their ineptitude in
intelligence and strategic planning, besides the poor training
and discipline of their athletes. It is just as well that our
country is not at war with any of our neighbors.

The rout in Brunei cannot be good for our national confidence,
which has been battered by endless political and economic crises
these last two years. Winning in Brunei would have restored some
of that lost confidence and national pride, and certainly would
have taken away some of the pain the people here have had to
endure because of the crises. Brunei could have erased the somber
mood the country has been in over the past few months. Instead,
it has only made us feel more miserable.

It would not be fair to lay the blame entirely on the
athletes. Sports officials and the government must be held
accountable for neglecting sports in times of crisis. We have all
been taught that sports and fitness are important aspects of our
lives and that a sound body ensures a sound mind. We have also
been told a sick body leads to a sick mind. Applying this
principle to the nation, we can attribute the people's current
sick state of mind to their neglect of sports.