Competition goes beyond Games arena

SEA Games athletes may have prepared themselves to lock horns with opponents inside the arena, but most might not have anticipated another contest they would face for public transport.

Prior to their game on Sunday morning a group of baseball players from Malaysia had to jostle with local supporters to board a shuttle bus at the Jakabaring Sports Complex intended to ferry them to the Games venue.

The team had to wait for several minutes for an empty bus that was large enough to carry all team members at once.

Malaysian baseball player Lee Sang Kiat said he could handle the wait.

“We would find these conditions in all cities [hosting the Games]. This is not a big deal,” he said.

A journalist from Brunei Darussalam, however, who declined to identify himself, complained about the lack of available shuttle buses.

He said that athletes, officials and journalists should be entitled to dedicated shuttle buses so that they would not have to compete with spectators for bus space.

Organizers have prohibited private cars from entering the Games complex, forcing many motorists to park their vehicles outside the compound and continue their journey on foot.

In addition to shuttle buses, organizers have also provided golf carts, bicycles, three-wheel becak (pedicabs) and minivans for athletes, officials and supporters as part of efforts to make the complex a more environmentally-friendly venue.

Gymnast Hannah Finnegan from the Philippines said she preferred riding becak, which is considered unique by many athletes.

“Riding the three-wheeler is quite fun,” Finnegan said.

She said that many athletes find the idea of using becak inside the venue amusing because many had never had similar experiences in their home countries.

Beyond public transport, another challenge for most non-Indonesian Games participants have been the food. Finnegan said that she experienced stomach pains on the second day of the Games, allegedly due to spicy food.

The city of Palembang is popular among Indonesians because of their spicy specialty foods, but Finnegan was not alone in discomfort.

Thai athlete Torlapp Sudjunta also had similar digestive problems when he first arrived in Palembang. “But it’s all right now after we brought our own cook [to serve Thai food],” he said.

David Lim Fong Jock, a team official representing Singapore’s swimming squad, said he had no complaints about the sporting festivities. “This is just as good as the previous events in Thailand and Laos,” he said, referring to the Games in 2007 and 2009 respectively.