KUALA LUMPUR: Pundit Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli is perplexed by Indonesia’s dissatisfaction with the sport selection for next year’s Malaysia SEA Games.
Indonesia are unhappy that eight of their “favoured sports” have been omitted from the Games.
Indonesia’s Youth and Sports Minister Erick Thohir said he had written to his Malaysian counterpart, Dr Taufiq Johari, seeking an explanation.
Pekan said Erick should not be surprised by the SEA Games programme, pointing out that host nations have often exercised their prerogative in this matter.
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“The Indonesian minister is making it out as if they are surprised that this is happening, as if this is something weird,” said Pekan when contacted today.
“When Indonesia hosted the 2011 SEA Games, they did the same thing. A lot of our favoured sports were not included. It happened to other countries as well.
“It is the norm to allow the host nation, who spends hundreds of millions of ringgit to organise the Games, to have some say over the selection of sports. Otherwise, no country would want to host it.
“So I find it bizarre that the minister is going out of his way to demonise Malaysia.
“In the current geopolitical situation, it appears there are people who make such issues a priority.”
The SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) has stressed that the selection of sports for the Malaysia SEA Games was made collectively by its 11 member nations.
Nations were allowed to appeal for sports left out of the preliminary programme between March and April.
Pekan added that dissatisfaction with the selection of SEA Games sports will continue well into the future if SEAGF does not set out rigid guidelines as practised at Asian Games-level.
“This issue has been going on for decades and it will not end until there are strict guidelines regarding the selection of sports,” said Pekan.
“This has to be agreed on by all member nations, otherwise it will not work.
“Host nations can still be given some say in the selection of sports, but it must be limited to a certain extent.”
Currently, only athletics and aquatics are compulsory under SEAGF rules though host nations have much wiggle room — to include or omit — when it comes to other Olympic and non-Olympic sports.
The rise in popularity of newer sports over the past decade has further complicated the issue.