Davis Cup exploits bode well for tennis team at SEA Games
Malaysia's stellar performance during the recent Davis Cup Asia-Oceania Group IV competition saw them promoted back to Group III, and their near-flawless run in the tournament bodes well ahead of the SEA Games.
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The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
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
17 hours 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.
New Straits Times
a day ago
- New Straits Times
Pekan: Focus on development, field fresh faces at the Sea Games
KUALA LUMPUR: Sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli hopes Malaysia Aquatics (MAS) will be brave enough to field a new generation of divers at the Thailand Sea Games (Dec 9-20). Pekan praised MAS and the National Sports Council (NSC) for introducing a blueprint (2024-2028) to revive Malaysia diving, which results-wise has been in decline in recent years. He, however, stressed that they must fully focus on developing the next generation of divers and avoid falling back on senior divers to produce short-term results for them. "The Thailand Sea Games will give us a good indication of how far we have progressed over the last two years in terms of development," said Pekan recently. "It is not just about results, it will be a good opportunity to show everyone the new faces we have and give these young divers a chance to gain valuable experience. "There may be people who feel that our senior divers can still contribute, however, if you allow them to compete at the Sea Games, you will be taking away a slot from the younger ones whom we are hoping to excel in bigger competitions over the next few years. "Though experience is important, it is not everything in diving. "In diving, athletes tend to peak at a younger age, typically from their mid to late teens when they are less injury-prone and have greater flexibility. "We should not be depending on seniors such as Pandelela Rinong to be winning medals for us anymore. She has already given us so much over the years and has nothing left to prove. We must thank her for her contributions." Pandelela, a two-time Olympic medallist, was forced to withdraw from women's 10m platform synchronised (with Lee Yiat Qing) due to a shoulder injury at the Singapore World Championships last week and subsequently sat out the 10m platform individual. Elvis Clement-Enrique Harold achieved a best-ever seventh-place finish for Malaysia in the men's 10m platform synchronised final but it was otherwise a quiet outing for the national diving squad in Singapore. MAS and NSC had come up with the 2024-2028 blueprint early last year in a bid to revive Malaysian diving. Under the blueprint, a fast track programme to develop young divers was set up while previously dormant states have also been given the support to revive their programmes. Coaching education has also been boosted to produce more qualified coaches in the country. A total of four gold medals will be on offer in diving at the Thailand Sea Games in the men's 3 metre springboard individual and synchronised, men's 1m springboard individual as well as the women's platform synchronised. MAS had sent senior divers to the 2019 Manila Sea Games, where Malaysia swept all four gold, and the Hanoi Sea Games, where they swept all eight gold. Second-tier and junior divers were sent to represent the country at the 2023 Phnom Penh games where Malaysia won all four gold on offer. The Thailand Sea Games will be the first edition of the Sea Games since the new MAS committee took office in the second half of 2023.
