National pride began to overshadow and erode the sporting values of the Games. It is now all about who can win the most medals, never mind if it means cheating or shifting the goal post to steal an advantage.
These Games have bloated to 43 sports, most of them favouring Indonesia, offering a massive 542 gold medals. That’s fine if the competition was fair and true. But what we have seen here, in Jakarta especially, is proof that the Games have grown out of control, driven by political, rather than sporting, agendas.
It’s about winning at all costs so that politicians and officials can gloat and ride the popular wave of triumphalism.
It’s about size and numbers, upstaging others rather than honest success.
We can understand patriotism but not insane ultranationalism and aggressive demonstration of parochialism.
How else can one explain the naked hatred Indonesian fans have for Malaysian athletes in particular? Their disregard for their foreign guests is disconcerting.
Malaysia and Indonesia have a long history of antagonism which has seen some major boil-overs, especially in Jakarta, in previous encounters like the Thomas Cup badminton finals and the Suzuki Cup football tournament.
The fans have jeered every single Malaysian athlete and the boos get louder if it’s an Indonesian on the opposing end. That is to be expected, but there is a distinctly vicious edge to the jeers directed at the MalayÂsians.
Being patriotic is noble, but being disrespectful to other countries is simply appalling.
Little wonder that they are calling these the Hostile Games.
