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Lacking competition

Southeast Asian Games struggling with few athletes

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Posted: Tuesday August 10, 1999 11:23 AM

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Reuters) -- The 20th Southeast Asian Games headed even more into the direction of being considered nothing more than a farce Tuesday after a Thai javelin champion collapsed after winning gold in a competition branded a joke by athletics officials.

Chatwadee Suthorn was taken to a nearby Brunei hospital and placed on a saline drip after she fainted just minutes after winning her third SEA Games javelin title with a throw of 49.13 meters.

She was later released from hospital only to learn that the medal ceremony had taken place without her even though the only other competitor in the event was a 120kg -- nearly 19 stone -- local mother whose best effort was a measly 24.98m.

A furious Chatwadee said later that she blamed the organizers for her collapse, claiming that they failed to provide her with any drinking water despite the searing heat and also refused to allow her extended breaks between throws because there were only two competitors.

"What is this? This is supposed to be an international competition. I don't know if I'll bother to compete (at the SEA Games) anymore," Chatwadee said.

The secretary of the Asian Amateur Athletics Association, Maurice Nicholas, said the track and field events at the SEA Games were a joke and could be cut from future meetings if the participating countries didn't enter more athletes.

On Monday Malaysia's Yuan Yu Fang won the women's 10km walk by finishing 10 minutes clear of her lone rival.

At least ten of the events on the program attracted fields of three or less competitors while the heats for every race except the men's and women's 100m were scrapped because of a lack of interest.

Lindsay said the AAAA would recommend to the SEA Games organizers that each of the 10 participating countries be forced to send their national champions in future to save the sport from being cut from the Games.

"It's true that some of the events are farcical," Lindsay said.

"We know that the SEA Games are the lowest of the Games so we didn't set any qualifying standards in the hope that everyone would send some competitors but they still didn't."

Chatwadee's collapse dampened what had otherwise been another great day for Thailand's athletes who won five of the 11 gold medals on offer at the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium.

The outstanding performance of the day was once again provided by Reanchai Seeharwong who won the 200m to complete the men's sprint double for a second time and reaffirm his place as the region's fastest man.

Reanchai, who also won the double at Chiang Mai in 1995 but missed the 1997 Games in Jakarta after he was dropped from the Thai team for skipping training, stopped the clock at 20.69sec to register his second Games record in three days.

Supavadee Khawpeag won the women's 200m in 23.92, Wirad Sarad won the 400m hurdles in 51.36 and Kawrungruang Sunisa took out the women's triple jump with a leap of 13.46m.

Malaysia, second behind Thailand on the overall medals table, picked up another four gold medals on the athletics track as well as another two in karate to keep in touch with their great rivals. Indonesia also fared well in Tuesday's early events, collecting gold medals in athletics, diving, mountain biking, karate and traditional boat racing.

 

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