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Concerns and controversies at the 2017 SEA Games

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There have been numerous concerns and controversies about the 2017 Southeast Asian Games, which was hosted in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[1][2][3][4]

During the games

Scheduling

Transportation issues

Television broadcast issues

  • Malaysia's failure to air some of the live matches on football events also been criticised, with one football supporter from Myanmar said: “I’m surprised to learn that Malaysia, which is much richer than Myanmar, fails to manage live coverage of some popular events and tournaments. I am asking this on behalf of all other ASEAN countries, not just for Myanmar”.[8]

Driver's background

Judging issues

  • The failure of Malaysian SEA Games Organising Committee (MASOC) to fully install “video challenge” or “dark fish” system for sepak takraw matches that can be used by teams to challenge calls made by the umpire or referee during a bout or match are criticised by the national sepak takraw association itself as all ASEAN sepak takraw teams had been notified and expecting the technology to be used in the competition.[11]
  • On 20 August, Indonesian women's sepak takraw team walked out of the venue to protest a call by the referee. Following the match abandonment from the Indonesian side, the Malaysian side was awarded a 2–0 score by the referee.[12] Later, Malaysian media claimed that Indonesia has admitted that it was a mistake to abandon the match.[13] However, this statement was rejected by the Indonesian officials.[14]
  • During pencak silat men's doubles seni contest on 24 August, Malaysian pair Taqiyuddin Hamid and Rosli Sharif won the competition with 582 points. Indonesian coaches, whose athlete Hendy and Yolla Primadona settled for silver, claimed that the given score is not natural and biased. According to one of the coaches, the highest point ever given for the competition was around 570.[15] However, Malaysian National Silat Federation secretary general Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin has denied such claims and said that the Indonesian team had accepted the result during team manager meeting.[16] Indonesian Minister of Youth and Sport Affairs, Imam Nahrawi, later said that he was planning on sending protest notes to the Asian Pencak Silat Federation and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) to prevent the referees or judges from officiating in 2018 Asian Games to be held in Indonesia.[17]
  • During Pencak Silat - Tanding Men Class D on 29 August, Malaysian athlete Razak Ghani seriously injured in the rib during a match against Thai athlete Pornteb Poolkaew causing it to be stopped definitely. The referee however gave Razak to win the match in a sudden controversial decision.[18][19]
  • The results of the boxing men's light flyweight quarter-final bout between Carlo Paalam of Philippines and Muhamad Fuad Redzuan of the host nation Malaysia was met with criticism as the latter was given a 5–0 decision despite being out boxed. Muhamad Fuad was also warned by the referee for illegal attacks such as take downs, headlocks and occasional lacing of his opponent's face in clinches but received only warnings and no point deductions. Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) executive director Ed Picson declined to make comment about the officiating and scoring other than to say "I thought it was the other way around. But it is what it is".[20] However, Muhamad Fuad gets to prove his worth when he went on to win the semi-final and final bouts to take the event gold medal.[21]
  • The winner of the women's 10,000 metres walk race, Elena Goh Ling Yin from the host nation Malaysia, was accused of cheating. The Vietnamese media protested that the Malaysian athlete cheated by "running" instead of "walking", especially during the last lap to overtake Phan Thị Bích Hà from Vietnam. According to walk races' rules, athletes’ two feet are not allowed to leave the ground at the same time.[22] The rules also state that the front leg must straighten when it makes contact with the ground. A violation may be cautioned with a yellow paddle, while repeat violations may be met with a red card. Three red cards, from three different judges, will result in a competitor's disqualification. Pictures allegedly showed Elena Goh violating both of these rules.[23][24] Meanwhile, the runner-up Phan Thị Bích Hà said to the media that, "It's too frustrating. But I couldn't do anything. As a competitor, I won't make any comment. But everyone can clearly see what happened on the track".[25]

Media issues

  • An incident involving the flag of Indonesia printed upside down in the games souvenir guidebook led to a furore amongst Indonesians, with Indonesia's Olympic Committee chairman Erick Thohir accusing the Malaysian SEA Games organisers of "negligence".[26] Indonesian President Joko Widodo called for an apology from Malaysia but cautioned Indonesian citizens against exaggerating the incident.[26] Shortly after, the hashtag "#shameonyoumalaysia" became the most popular hashtag on Twitter on 20 August 2017.[26] Malaysian Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin then met his Indonesian counterpart Imam Nahrawi at a hotel to personally apologise over the incident and assure that the guidebooks will be corrected and reprinted.[27] The issue was resolved as the Ministers held a press conference afterwards and informed that Nahrawi had accepted Khairy's apology.[28] Despite the apology, an Indonesian hacker group called the ExtremeCrew hacked into and vandalised several Malaysian websites with the message "Bendera Negaraku Bukanlah Mainan" (Our country's flag is not a toy).[29]

Ticketing issues

  • The allocated tickets of the Myanmar-Laos football men's group match at the UiTM Stadium which was said to be already sold out causing Myanmar fans had to support their team from outside the stadium despite there are still many empty spaces available inside the stadium as they were not allowed to enter.[30]
  • On 28 August, many Malaysians fans angered over ticket sales system at the Shah Alam Stadium for the final football match between Malaysia and Thailand. Ticket counters at the Shah Alam Stadium are only open up to 2 counters resulting in chaos and forced Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) and police to be deployed to the area to disperse the crowd involved in the chaos. Most of those involved are frustrated because they have long queues since 6am but unable to buy even one ticket as the counter had run out of ticket sales. Other Malaysian fans also criticises the ticketing system as it is not sold online.[31][32] But Malaysian Minister of Youth and Sports, Khairy Jamaluddin explained that online payment gateway provider could not guarantee a stable process because of volume and they were concerned people would transact payment and not get tickets because of the sheer volume.[33]

Fans' behaviour

  • Other threats to football supporters from other Southeast Asian countries by Malaysian hooligans were also previously reported when Malaysian SEA Games organisers have called Malaysian football fans to be civil and control their behaviour as the events are based on a "strong spirit of togetherness and sportsmanship" especially after an incident where video footage had circulated in the internet showing extreme Malaysian football supporters chanting "kami turun ke Shah Alam, satu jiwa sokong Malaysia, Singapore anjing dibunuh saja" (we come to Shah Alam, united in supporting Malaysia, Singapore dogs should only be killed).[34][35]

Closing ceremony

  • The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) was under fire and criticised by netizens for the disapproval of the planned performance, sponsored by the Department of Tourism (DOT) amounting at PHP8.1 million, in the turn-over of the hosting duties to the Philippines from Malaysia for the hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the closing ceremony. The check was given back to DOT.[38] However, in another report, POC Commissioner Peping Cojuangco stated that the plan to have a cultural performance in the closing ceremony was scrapped as Malaysia's SEA Games Organising Committee has already laid down their program before their request was made.[39]

After the games

Doping

  • It was reported on 26 October 2017 that Malaysian diver Wendy Ng Yan Yee had failed a doping test conducted at the Games. Her B sample tested positive for sibutramine, a stimulant banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). As a consequence, Malaysia will lose the gold medal won by Wendy Ng and fellow diver Dhabitah in the 3m springboard synchronised event.[40][41][42]

References

  1. ^ "SEA Games: RTM apologises for flag mistakes in medal tally broadcast". Channel NewsAsia. 26 August 2017. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
  2. ^ Chai Kim Sen (23 August 2017). "Don't be ugly Malaysians!". The Malay Mail. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  3. ^ Tang Ruxyn (23 August 2017). "11 Controversial Incidents That Have Been Reported At The 2017 SEA Games". Says.com. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  4. ^ Ryan Songalia (24 August 2017). "The worst controversies so far of 2017 SEA Games boxing". Rappler. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
     • "An ugly tradition continues in Malaysia". Bangkok Post. 30 August 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
     • "Malaysia shrug off judging controversies". The New Paper. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  5. ^ Aftar Singh (10 August 2017). "The Philippines cry foul over athletics programme schedule". The Star. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  6. ^ Nigel Chin (13 August 2017). "Singapore coach slams SEA Games organisers over scheduling issues". Yahoo! News Singapore. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  7. ^ Titi Fajriyah (23 August 2017). "Rentetan Kontroversi di SEA Games 2017" (in Indonesian). CNN Indonesia. Retrieved 1 September 2018.
  8. ^ Kyaw Zin Hlaing (16 August 2017). "Myanmar fans upset by Malaysia's failure to air some football matches". The Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  9. ^ Hariz Mohd (18 August 2017). "Shame! Malaysian bus driver ferrying Myanmar football team busted for theft". New Straits Times. Archived from the original on 18 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  10. ^ Steve Cotton (18 August 2017). "SEA Games: Bus driver of Myanmar football team arrested for theft of Malaysian official's watch". Asian Correspondent. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  11. ^ "PSM disappointed with SEA Games committee for failure to install 'video challenge'". Bernama. The Malay Mail. 18 August 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  12. ^ "SEA Games: Sepak takraw competition marred by Indonesian walkout". Bernama. Channel NewsAsia. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  13. ^ "Indonesia's sepak takraw association admits mistake after yesterday's walkout". Bernama. The Malay Mail. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  14. ^ Riki Ilham Rafles (22 August 2017). "Tim Sepak Takraw Indonesia Bantah Akui Kesalahan" [Indonesia sepak takraw team denies they have admitted mistake over walk out] (in Indonesian). Viva.co.id. Retrieved 22 August 2017.
  15. ^ "Kontroversi SEA Games 2017: Pesilat Indonesia Dicurangi Wasit" [2017 SEA Games Controversy: Indonesian silat exponent cheated by referee]. Antara (in Indonesian). Tempo. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  16. ^ Ferzalfie Fauzi (25 August 2017). "KL2017: Pesaka refutes claims of biased silat judging". New Straits Times. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  17. ^ Didit Hariyadi (25 August 2017). "SEA Games: Govt to Send Protest Notes over Controversial Referees". Tempo. Retrieved 25 August 2017.
  18. ^ "ฉาวส่งท้าย! ปันจักสีลัตไทยหน้าจืด เจ้าภาพเจ็บแต่ได้ทอง อ้างเหตุสุดแสบ (คลิป)" [Scandalous! Thai Pencak silat sad, host was injured but get a gold medal in a bad decision (Video)] (in Thai). Thairath.co.th. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  19. ^ "โดนปรับแพ้! ปันจักสีลัตไทย ซัดเจ้าภาพ บาดเจ็บแข่งต่อไม่ได้ แต่ชวดเหรียญทอง (มีคลิป)" [Beaten up! Thai Pencak silat success in beating Malaysian, but unsuccessful to get a gold medal (Video)] (in Thai). trueID. 29 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  20. ^ Ryan Songalia (21 August 2017). "PH boxer Paalam ousted by Malaysian in dubious decision at 2017 SEA Games". Rappler. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  21. ^ Fardy Bungga (24 August 2017). "KL2017: Muhamad Fuad deliver Malaysia's first Sea Games gold in boxing since 2009". New Straits Times. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  22. ^ "See: Learn the Basic Rules for Olympic Race Walking". ThoughtCo. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  23. ^ "Karena Foto Ini Atlet Malaysia, Elena Goh Diduga Curang Di Cabor Jalan Cepat Putri SEA Games 2017" [Because of this photo, Malaysian athlete Elena Goh is suspected of cheating in 2017 SEA Games Women's race walking event] (in Indonesian). Chirpstory. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  24. ^ "Malaysian accused of cheating in SEA Games walk gold". Dân Trí. 25 August 2017. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  25. ^ Lâm Thỏa (23 August 2017). "Việt Nam mất HC vàng vì VĐV chủ nhà chạy ở môn đi bộ" [Vietnam loses gold because one athlete was running] (in Vietnamese). VnExpress. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  26. ^ a b c "Indonesia angered after Malaysia shows its flag as Poland's". ABC News. Associated Press. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  27. ^ "Malaysia apologizes for showing Indonesia's flag as Poland's". WTOP. Associated Press. 20 August 2017. Archived from the original on 20 August 2017. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  28. ^ Tan Ming Wai (20 August 2017). "Upside-down flag flap in SEA Games booklet resolved". The Star. Retrieved 20 August 2017.
  29. ^ "Indonesian hacker group defaces Malaysian websites following flag blunder". The Straits Times. 21 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
  30. ^ Fa Abdul (22 August 2017). "Did we screw up the SEA Games, Khairy". Malaysiakini. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  31. ^ Beatrice Nita Jay; Faliq Lajim; Izzudin Aznan (28 August 2017). "Fans turned violent as Sea Games football final tickets sold out". New Straits Times. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  32. ^ "SEA Games: Tempers flare at Shah Alam Stadium as thousands miss out on football final tickets". Channel NewsAsia. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  33. ^ "On Twitter, Khairy explains why tickets for SEA Games football final not sold online". The Malay Mail. 28 August 2017. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
  34. ^ Haikal Jalil (22 August 2017). "'Singapore anjing' chant mars SEA Games football match (Video)". The Sun. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  35. ^ Jonathan Wong (22 August 2017). "'SEA Games: Organisers urge fans to improve their behaviour at the Games". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 August 2017.
  36. ^ Jonathan Wong (24 August 2017). "SEA Games: 16 Malaysian athletes hit by food poisoning, organisers still investigating source of contamination". The Straits Times. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  37. ^ "SEA Games: 16 Malaysian athletes hit by food poisoning". Channel NewsAsia. 24 August 2017. Retrieved 24 August 2017.
  38. ^ Camille B. Naredo (29 August 2017). "No grand performance from PH at SEA Games' closing ceremony". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  39. ^ Reuben Terrado (30 August 2017). "Under-fire Peping Cojuangco appeals for support for athletes, but silent on SEAG debacle". Sports Interactive Network Philippines. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  40. ^ Jonathan Wong (26 October 2017). "SEA Games: Singapore in line for surprise diving gold after Malaysian diver who failed doping test is identified". The Straits Times. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  41. ^ Lim Teik Huat (26 October 2017). "Diver Wendy Ng fails doping test". The Star. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
  42. ^ "Diver Ng loses SEA Games gold medals after failing doping test". Free Malaysia Today. 26 October 2017. Retrieved 27 October 2017.