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Journalism of Courage
Bangkok, Dec 5: Thailand’s capital Bangkok is ready to emulate what Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur did by hosting the Commonwealth Games a few months back. To show Asian resilience at its best.
Critics may continue to carp on what is wrong here but the most notable fact is that the Asian Games, being sold as the last great sports gathering this century, will take off. Over the past year or so, there has been much speculation over whether Thailand was in any condition to pull of an event that required them to host more than 7,500 sportspersons and an equal number of officials and almost 5,000 media persons.
Bangkok and Thailand are on the verge of doing it. They may not be the best Games in the past half-century, since their inception in New Delhi in 1951, but the effort will surely go down as one of the bravest from a country that has come to the rescue of the continent’s sporting fraternity more than once in the past.
Bangkok must be one of the few cities to have hosted a continental Games on no lessthan four occasions — the current edition being the fourth after 1966, 1970 and 1978. On two of those occasions, Thailand had deservedly won great respect among the Asian Olympic movement by stepping in at short notice when the original hosts were unable to hold the Asiad.
A blend of political turmoil, procrastination and admittedly a certain air of complacency meant little was done in the early days of planning. The Games had been awarded in 1990, and it was not until 1996 that a sense of urgency engulfed the Thais and of course, the Olympic Council of Asia.Even then, hosting the Games itself would not have been a problem, but for the `Economic Flu’ which afflicted Asia so severely. The unexpected economic reversal, the currency crisis in the region and the ongoing recession, which shows no signs of abating. Yet, Thailand like Malaysia in September, is on the verge of hosting the Games.
In the recession, it was the property and construction sectors compounded by liquidity crunch that had Thailand on themat. Political in-fighting added to the turmoil. Resignations by key figures amidst all this led to the belief that Bangkok, on this occasion, would be unable to do the rescue act.Even as Indian officials informally contemplated bailing out Bangkok and offering to host the 1998 Games, the OCA finally woke upto the situation. That was in September 1997, when the Games were just 14 months away. The Thais were asked point-blank to give answers and assurances, and they did.
With the head of Thailand’s Olympic Committee, General Chettha Thanajaro, giving personal assurances, things once again moved. The last remnants of doubts were, to some extent, removed at the last month’s series of pre-Games events when all the main facilities were tested in a competitive atmosphere. Yet, niggling doubts persisted. But they were no longer over whether the Games would go on, they now pertained only to how good a show would Thailand be able to put up.
The 60,000 capacity (Rajamangala) Royal Main Stadium at Hua Mark, wherethe opening and closing ceremonies will be held, are said to be in top condition, as also the Hua Mark Sports Centre a 12,000-seater indoor stadium which will host the sepak takraw competition, the Velodrome where 2,000 spectators will cycling events and a state-of-the-art shooting range, again with a 2,000 capacity.
The Rangsit campus is also the site of the newly-built athletes’ village with 5,000 comfortable units for the athletes and officials. The Muang Thong Thani Sports Complex, the centre of much focus and uncertainty in the past 18 months, is finally ready to host all its events.
When the Thais last played host in 1978, they just had to cater for 19 disciplines and less than 3,000 athletes from 25 nations. The numbers have since grown to 38 sports — two of them demonstration — with almost 7,500 athletes and officials from 40-odd countries. That is a record and it could have been better had Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia not cried off.
Yet, the Thais, as much as the others realise that theGames, as usual, will be dominated by the traditional triumvirate of China, Japan and South Korea, though some of the other nations may now and then take away the spotlight, if only for the moment.
Lending a special meaning to the Games in Bangkok this time has been double celebration as the Thais mark the 50th anniversary of their King, who will declare the Games open. The Royal family is indeed a sporting one, with the King and his daughter Princess Ubolratana having won gold medals in yachting at the South East Peninsular Games in Thailand in 1967.
