Sports management in Southeast Asia still has a lot of catching up to do before it can meet world standards, at least that is how the latest developments in SEA Games has proved.
As the 26th edition of the SEA Games is less than three weeks from launching, organizers in Indonesia still have to finish grouping and arranging competition schedule for football – the sport of all sports in the region.
With the recent announcement from the host Indonesia to move up the start of football competition from Nov.7 to Nov.3, German-born coach Falko Goetz of Vietnam could do nothing but express disappointment.
“This kind of thing can only happen in Southeast Asia,” he remarked.
Around 40 air tickets for the Vietnamese football delegation to travel to Indonesia must be rescheduled. Bookings for hotel and other services are also to be rearranged.
Even more, just a few weeks away from the opening ceremony and the host nation still has to schedule a ceremony to divide teams in groups.
Medal tally
As a rule, being a host nation means having a lot of room to pull off a few strategic maneuvers to make sure it stays at the top of the medal tally, such as including in the competition some local sports that attract few competitors other than those from the host country.
Apart from SEA Games 1999 and 2009 hosted by Brunei and Laos whose sports record has lagged far behind the rest of the region, all other host countries take turns standing atop the medal ranking table.
In 2007, Thailand -- a strong nation of sports -- played the host and topped the medal tally with 183 gold medals, followed by Malaysia and Vietnam with 68 and 64 golds, respectively.
Similarly, the 2005 SEA Games hosted in the Philippines saw the host country catapulted to the first place with 113 gold medals, pushing Thailand and Vietnam to the second and third place with 87 and 71 golds.
When Vietnam hosted the games in 2003, it landed at the top of the medal tally, with 158 gold medals. Thailand, with 99 golds, came in second and Indonesia third with 55 golds.
Not wanting to be left out of the game, as the host of the 2001 SEA Games, Malaysia moved up to the top of the medal chart with a total of 111 gold medals. Thailand and Indonesia followed with 103 and 72, respectively.
Tip for the gold medal-hungry hosts? Sports fans in the region always have an insatiable craving for local, specialized sports that are not commonly played -- or even seen -- anywhere else outside own borders. They include squash, handball, lawn bowls, rugby union, softball, netball, and arnis. With no knowledge of the rules, few can even follow them. It’s a perfect chance to throw in a few tricks to make sure home team wins!
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