Despite controversies, Games end in high spirits

When the curtain falls on a major international sporting event, spirits are always high, no matter how many controversies have occurred. The Asian Games in South Korea come to a close today after a fortnight of tears, joy, pride and incensed outcries. The period has seen records shattered, a promising new generation of athletes emerging, and the gaps narrowing in certain sports, not only among Asian countries but also between Asia and other continents.

An Asian runner, for example, was clocked under 10 seconds for the first time in the history of the Asian Games 100-metre sprint. The Thai football team kept knocking on the door of Asia’s elite squads. South Korean sepak takraw players showed the dominant nations underestimate them at their peril. Barring refereeing problems, there were positives everywhere.

Globalisation is measured not only by songs, fashions, Facebook friend lists and trade. Not even the medals table can give justice to how close the world’s athletes are in their abilities nowadays. While China, South Korea and Japan remain the undoubted sporting superpowers of Asia, the chasing pack is not far behind. People across the globe are getting better in sport, and that can only be good news.

There is room for improvement, of course. Politics and other factors have hampered sport developments in many countries, Thailand included. Yet sports have thrived in spite of the obstacles. We only have to watch the Asian Games events themselves – not the medal tally – to realise that.

To promote the love of sport among the young might be the best thing grown-ups can do, because the rest will then take care of itself. In a letter to The Nation, a writer asked how many Thai youngsters take the initiative to go out into the countryside and explore nature, climb steep hills, physically exert themselves and try to push their limits. How many of them are doing that, compared with those following the trends – hanging out in shopping malls and constantly sharing selfies?

It's a good question, but the answer depends on many factors. Youngsters’ fun-loving tendency is natural, but how they behave also has a lot to do with the recreational “facilities” available of them. In Thailand it’s a lot easier to find eye-catching coffeeshops, pubs and restaurants than good swimming pools and tennis courts. Politicians in power pay attention only to the sports in which Thai athletes win medals, and society does likewise, forgetting that sport is not just about winning.

While being high on the medals table is good, it’s not everything. Countries excelling in sport harvest passion and channel it the right ways. Sport has ups and downs, so success must turned into inspiration, while failures must never become a rationale for public or private funding to cease or be reduced. Sport requires long-term cultivation, not this sort of flash-in-the-pan treatment.

The world is becoming better in sports, as the big international events have shown us, not least the Asian Games in South Korea. It can be better still, particularly if the mentality of the adults changes. Every child wants to be the fastest runner on the block, in the district, in the province or perhaps in the world. There are millions of them in every country, but there can be only one fastest runner in each category. Everyone involved in sport development must keep this in mind. Measures must not focus only on that one child who has the potential to become one of the fastest, but also on the millions of others equipped with aspiration and little else. If we can develop such an approach, the rest, it’s certain, will take care of itself.