NAY PYI TAW – Thailand resumed its reign as the overall champion in the Southeast Asian Games on a program that placed priority on the medal rich Olympic sports of athletics, swimming, sailing and canoeing and in the martial arts – boxing, judo and taekwondo.
Thailand gained the overall title last held by host Indonesia with a runaway gold medal tally of 93 coming from athletics (17), swimming (7), boxing (7), canoeing (5) and sailing (4), judo (6), taekwondo (5) and showed its mastery in indigenous sports like sepak takraw (6), pencak silat (2) and muay thai.
It defeated the Philippines in billiards and snooker (4) and shared honors with the Philippines in golf with its victories in the men’s individual and team events.
Since hosting the SEA Games in 2003, Vietnam had surged to the top 5 overall. This year it assumed second overall with successes in athletics (10) and in the martial arts, winning 10 in wrestling, five in wushu, four each in taekwondo and vovinam, and three each in judo, karatedo and pencak silat.
It also gained headway in swimming (5) and chess (2).
Indonesia, champion from 1977 to 1987 and as host again in 2011, has spread its resources to almost all the Olympic and traditional sports, winning in athletics (6), cycling (5), rowing (5), kempo (4), canoeing (4), badminton (3), weightlifting (3), pencak silat (3), equestrian (2), wrestling (2), traditional boat race (2) and wushu (2).
Myanmar, who has always been behind the Philippines in the standings, has occupied a higher position which this year puts the host at second behind Thailand. It has a continuing program that puts emphasis on the traditional boat race which it dominated with 12 gold medals and in regional sports like chinlone (6), vovinam (5), wushu (5), kempo (4) and petanque (2).
Malaysia’s success is anchored on strengths in karatedo (7), athletics and swimming (4 each) and wushu (3), while Singapore came to Myanmar with its strong swimming team which gained 11 gold medals and a sailing team, whose five gold medals Friday prevented attempts by the Philippines to overtake the island nation at sixth.
The Philippines gained a measure of success only in athletics (6), wushu (3) and boxing (3) but was below par in other sports, where it had two or one gold to show – which explains the odds it is up against in its quest for fifth or sixth place in the SEA Games.