Sports can deepen regional ties

To date, there has been little discussion on sports and there is relatively little awareness of the great popularity of sports in the region.

For example, the Bukit Julil National Stadium (opened in 1998) can seat 100,000 spectators. It was built when Malaysia was host of the Commonwealth Games.

There is a professional Asean Basketball League (ABL), which began in 2009. This league currently has six teams, namely, Hi-Tech Bangkok City, Laskar Dreya South Sumatra, Indonesia Warriors, Saigon Heat, Singapore Slingers, and the Westports Malaysia Dragons. This year, the Hi Tech Bangkok City team was the league champion.

On six occasions Southeast Asian nations have hosted the Asian Games, which take place every four years. Bangkok has hosted these games four times (in 1966, 1970, 1978, and 1998). Manila hosted them in 1954 and Jakarta in 1962. The Asian Games began in 1951.

Every two years there are the Southeast Asian Games, which began in 1959 in Bangkok. There have been 25 Games, with the most recent in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, last year. Thailand has hosted the Games six times, the most of any Southeast Asian nation, including in Chiang Mai in 1995 and Korat in 2007.

At the 1967 SEA Games, HM King Bhumibol and his daughter, Princess Ubolratana, competed in sailing. His Majesty won gold in the OK dinghy class and built his own boat. 

There is also the Asean University Games, which is held every two years. These games are organised by the Asean University Sports Council. The first University Games was held in 1981 in Chiang Mai.

The Thailand Premier Football League now has 20 teams and is the fastest growing football league in the world. BuriRam and Muang Thong have dominated the league over the past five years.

Southeast Asia is home to two unique sports in the region: sepak takraw and pencak silat. In Thailand sepak takraw is simply called takraw. It is sometimes referred to as kick volleyball. Hands cannot touch the ball. It is a major event in both the Asian Games and SEA Games. 

Annually, there are three major sepak takraw international competitions. To play this game requires an amazing degree of skill and agility. Takraw as a sport dates back to 15th century Malacca.

Pencak silat is based on Indonesian martial arts. It dates back centuries to the Srivijaya kingdom of Sumatra. Freedom fighters in Indonesia used penchak silat in their struggle for independence against the Dutch. Brunei’s first ever feature film, Yasmine, was about a young Brunei woman who became skilled in silat.

While university and educational rankings are commonly discussed these days, there is little awareness of how Southeast Asian nations have performed in sports.

In the Asian Games, Thailand ranks first in the region with a total of 512 medals. Second is Indonesia with 411 medals and the Philippines is third with 379. At the 1966 Asian Games, Thailand won the silver medal in basketball. However, if it were a per capita medal count, Singapore ranks first, followed by Brunei, Malaysia, and Thailand.

In the SEA Games, Thailand ranks first with 5,315 medals, Indonesia is second (4,670), and Malaysia third (3,099). Per capita, Singapore ranks first, followed by Brunei, Malaysia, and Thailand. Thus, Singapore is not only an economic and technological powerhouse in the region, but also a sports power.

For the Asean University Games, Indonesian has won nine times, Thailand four times, Malaysia twice and Vietnam once.

In 2009, Laos hosted the SEA Games. China, with its use of “soft power”, provided Laos approximately US$100 million (Bt3.3 billion) to build a national sports complex on the outskirts of Vientiane. Having these excellent facilities enabled Laos to host the Asean University Games in 2012.

In exchange for their financial support to Laos, Chinese developers were granted a major concession to develop a large modern commercial complex on approximately 1,640 hectares of prime land in Vientiane along the Mekong River. China is now the largest international investor in the Lao PDR.

Earlier this year, on February 25-26, the first ever Malaysian University Sports Council conference was held with the theme “Sports: Transformation for Nation”.

One of the major benefits of hosting international sports competitions such as the Asian Games is the valuable infrastructure created which can be used in the future. As a result of it being a major Asian Games site in 1998, Muang Thong Thani now has a huge world-class convention centre and Thailand’s first ever football stadium, Yahama Stadium (formerly the Thunderdome), home of the excellent Muang Thong United football team. No other sport is played there.

For the young, preparing for Asean sports competitions requires great motivation and fitness. Such individuals can contribute to Asean becoming one of the world’s most dynamic and vibrant regions.

In addition to the SEA Games, University Games, and ABL, it would be good to also have an Asean Premier Football League and an Asean Rugby Championship in the AEC era. Rugby (sevens, 15-a-side and touch rugby) is also growing in popularity around the world.

An increase in cross-border sports competitions enhances contact and cooperation among the younger generation, contributing to peace and mutual cultural understanding. Such sports activities can also serve as a model to promote excellence, health, fitness, and wellness in the region.