A
mesmerising closing ceremony for the Southeast Asian Games Tuesday was unable
to lift the pall cast over competition by the deaths of two fans in a stampede
at the headline football final.
Fireworks and dancers lit up the centrepiece
stadium in Palembang, which co-hosted the Games, but there was a sombre
undertone to the event after the stampede that proceeded Indonesia's clash with
Malaysia for football gold.
Two victims died in the crush before the
Monday night match in Jakarta when stadium gates were opened and the crowd
surged to get in, Jakarta police told AFP, adding that a boy taken to hospital
had slipped into a coma.
Games organisers Inasoc had warned of
potential flashpoints ahead of the highly-anticipated final -- which defending
champions Malaysia won 4-3 on penalties after the teams were deadlocked at 1-1
after extra time.
The tragedy took the gloss off a glittering
Games for the hosts, who collected 182 golds out of the 554 available in a
bulging total medal haul of 476 overall.
It meant Indonesia topped the Games medals
charts for the first time since 1997 -- when they last hosted the competition
-- and left 2009 winners Thailand trailing on 109 golds, with Vietnam further
back on 96.
The biennial event saw athletes from 11
nations compete for hundreds of medals, regional bragging rights and a rare
chance to shine on the international stage.
Indonesian athletes scored memorable victories
in many of the headline track and field events, while also cleaning up in niche
sports such as paragliding, roller skating and traditional Indonesian martial
art pencak silat.
The hosts also swept the drama-filled
badminton competition, while their under-23 football team stirred the passions
of the nation with its run to the final.
But the Games struggled to shake off nagging
organisational problems, including a delay in building venues and a lack of
accommodation and transport in the South Sumatran city of Palembang.
The troubles prompted Burma's chef-de-mission
to vow his nation will do a "better job" when they host the next
Games in 2013.
There was also repeated criticism of home fans
for barracking visiting teams -- in particular Malaysia's athletes throughout
the 11-days of competition.
"There must be some respect,"
Malaysia's chef-de-mission Datuk Naim Mohamad told AFP.
"That's been missing from the fans on
many occasions. Booing national anthems is the wrong behaviour for a Games that
should be about regional solidarity."
Games' organisers Inasoc defended the
competition saying they overcame early problems caused by alleged corruption
from within the government to host a solid competition.
"It was good Games, a lot of good things
happened too," said Rita Subowo Inasoc chairwoman. "I think the
athletes have enjoyed the competition. We had problems but I think we fixed
them pretty quickly."
Subowo joined the chorus of calls for fewer
minor sports -- such as paragliding and bridge -- in the next edition, saying
they divert resources and attention from Olympic disciplines.
The gold most craved by the home fans was in
the headline under-23 football, but instead they endured heartbreak as
Malaysia's captain Baddrol Bakhtiar scored the winning penalty, following two
missed spot-kicks by Indonesia.
The Malaysian side were hailed heroes for
their gutsy showing in the incident-packed final, with the country's prime
minister tweeting his congratulations shortly after the game.
Elsewhere, Singapore's swimmers again
dominated the pool, repeating their strong showing in the 2009 Games in Laos,
while Thailand stormed to 14 athletics golds and Vietnam cleaned up in the
gymnastics.
But other competing nations were left to
digest a disastrous showing. The Philippines stumbled badly taking a paltry 36
golds, their worst showing for a decade.
Only tiny Brunei left the biennial Games
without a gold medal.
Bangkok Post
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