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Post-SEA Games: Toward Asian Games
Clearly, our performance in the latest SEA Games raises a nagging question: What has gone wrong, and what can be done to restore our past glory?
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Fireworks amaze spectators during the opening ceremony of the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017. (JP/Seto Wardhana)
O
ne could not help but feel proud of the way our athletes tried their best to win in their respective sports categories and bring pride to Indonesia during the recent 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur.
Indeed, each medal won was a reason for celebration. Each medal combined the individual efforts of our athletes and the collective support of our sports leaders and fellow countrymen. When it came to our bowling team, we won a gold medal, two silvers and three bronzes — six reasons to celebrate.
The experience was also discomfiting, as Indonesia finished fifth overall with 38 gold medals, while Malaysia finished first (145 golds), Thailand second (72 golds), Vietnam third (58 golds) and Singapore fourth (57 golds).
The results were rather jarring, to say the least. Indonesia, with the largest economy and the largest population in the region, a country that aspires to be a leading regional and global player, could only finish fifth in the SEA Games. Our tiny neighbor Singapore, whose population and economy is a mere 2 percent and with a population a third of Indonesia’s, fared better than us.
