Shah Firdaus out to complete unfinished business in SEA Games
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Daily Express
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Isabelle to compete in Spain polo tournament
Published on: Thursday, August 07, 2025 Published on: Thu, Aug 07, 2025 By: Clarence Dol Text Size: Isabelle preparing for the 2025 Sotogrande polo tournament. Kota Kinabalu: Sabah born Isabelle Lonjuing Sayeed will be participating in the Sotogrande Polo Tournament in Spain this month. Isabelle was invited by Brunei to play for the Brunei Darussalam team in Spain. Advertisement The 2025 Sotogrande polo season runs from late May to the end of August, with the main highlight being the 54th Torneo Internacional de Polo at Ayala Polo Club from July 28 to August 30. The tournament features the Bronze, Silver and Gold Cups, with matches played in Low, Medium and High Handicap categories. Isabelle was also selected for Malaysia at the SEA Games in Thailand in December 2025, becoming the first ever female player in polo, representing the country. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
2 days ago
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Opinion - Why the SEA Games must remain untouched by politics
Cambodia hosted the 32nd SEA Games in 2023. - Photo: Supplied PHNOM PENH: A Thai proposal to exclude Cambodia is not just misguided, it's a warning sign for Asean's moral compass. In times of tension, our region does not need louder threats, it needs clearer principles. That is why recent comments from Thailand's Minister of Tourism and Sports, suggesting that Cambodia could be excluded from the upcoming SEA Games, demand more than quiet dismissal. They demand correction. Let us start with the facts. Cambodia is a full and cooperative member of the SEA Games Federation Council. We are under no sanctions. We have not violated a single rule, nor have we used sport to provoke, retaliate or disrupt. Our athletes are training. Our coaches are preparing. Our participation in the December 2025 Games is rooted in merit, not politics. So when a host minister publicly floats the idea of barring our delegation not due to misconduct, but due to 'public sentiment' and 'safety concerns' the question must be asked: what is the real motive behind the suggestion? Because this is not about sport. It is about narrative control. What we are witnessing is a familiar tactic. When internal pressure builds, when truth becomes inconvenient, governments look outward. They create symbols. They look for something to reject. And in this case, Cambodian athletes are being used as that symbol. The problem with this strategy is not only that it's unjust, but also dangerous. If a host country is allowed to politicise who can or cannot attend the SEA Games, we no longer have sport. We have spectacle. We no longer have neutral ground. We have leveraged terrain. To his credit, the president of the SEA Games Council, Chaiyaphak Siriwat, responded swiftly and clearly. He reminded all parties that the SEA Games are governed by the Olympic Charter, a document built on non-discrimination, neutrality and inclusion. No host nation has the authority to exclude another. Not now. Not ever. Yet the damage from the minister's remarks is already visible. Even without formal enforcement, the idea was seeded. Doubt was created. And that, too, is a form of soft warfare not between armies, but between truths. For Cambodia, we do not respond with outrage. We respond with clarity. We will not step aside. We will not play into the hands of provocation. Our flag will fly in Bangkok. Our athletes will show up. Not because we were permitted, but because we belong. And this is no longer just about Cambodia. This is about Asean. If the region stands by while exclusion is entertained under the language of 'safety' or 'healing', then we endorse a precedent where every future host can wield emotion as a weapon. Tomorrow it may not be Cambodia. It may be another country, another delegation, another excuse. This is not the SEA Games we were told to believe in. This is not the Asean we swore to protect. Sport must remain a space for merit, not manipulation. For unity, not leverage. For healing, not distraction. Cambodia understands this. Our conduct in the 2023 SEA Games proved it when we hosted every nation with dignity, respect and neutrality. The coming months will test not just the border, but the moral border of our region. The line between disagreement and disqualification. Between politics and principle. I ask my readers, fellow Southeast Asians, and institutional leaders to hold that line with us. Because if we surrender it now, there will be no game worth playing. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN [Ponley Reth is a Cambodian writer and commentator based in Phnom Penh. The views and opinions expressed are his own.]
The Star
2 days ago
- The Star
Umar not overly concerned by lack of tournament preparation for SEA Games
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia's 400m runner Umar Osman (pic) is not overly concerned despite only having one meet lined up before heading for Bangkok in December to defend the SEA Games gold medal he won last year. He believes the Malaysian Open from Aug 29-31 in Kangar, Perlis is sufficient preparation as he had already clocked his season's best at the Asian Championships in Gumi, South Korea, in May.
