VietNamNet Bridge – Two transits to reach Palembang, no sport village in Jakarta, six athletes to share a small toilet--are among problems that Vietnamese athletes will face at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Indonesia next month.


The games will be held in Jakarta and Palembang. While Jakarta host SEA Games 1979, 1987 and 1997, Palembang will host the first games this year. This is the third time the SEA Games to be held in a city which is not the capital. Previously, Thailand organized SEA Games 1995 in Chiang Mai and SEA Games 1997 in Nakhon Ratchasima.

Palembang is the capital of South Sumatra province. This is one of the oldest cities in Indonesia, with sea-related history and fishery. With an area of 400sq.km and a population of nearly 1.5 million, Palembang is the seventh largest city in Indonesia.

It will take athletes an entire day to move from Jakarta to Palembang, with two ferries cross the sea to move from Java Island to Sumatra. If they go there by air, there are only ten to and from flights between the two cities, using small aircrafts. This is the problem for Vietnam’s sports delegation.

Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei have borders with Indonesia while the remaining Southeast Asian countries have air routes to Jakarta or Palembang. It will be very hard for athletes of Vietnam and Myanmar to go to Indonesia.

For Vietnam, athletes will depart from Noi Bai or Tan Son Nhat airports, transit in Singapore and arrive in Jakarta. From Jakarta, athletes will fly to Palembang.

Head of the Vietnamese sports delegation Lam Quang Thanh made a survey trip, which took him 14 hours. Thanh left Hanoi at 8am and he arrived at Palembang at 10pm of the same day.

Vietnam Airlines will arrange a direct flight from Hanoi to Palembang to transport as many athletes to Palembang before the opening day. The remaining athletes will have to go to Palembang in normal route, with two transits.

As the games will be organized in two cities, it will be difficult for leaders of sports delegations. The organizing board will provide only three free air tickets between Jakarta and Palembang for chiefs of sports delegations, to serve their participation in the opening and closing ceremonies on the bank of Musi River, Palembang. Thus, leaders will mainly contact with sport teams via cell phone.

The biggest concern of Thanh is accommodations. The host country will not build a village for athletes in Jakarta so athletes will have to stay at hotels. Secuirty in Jakarta is good but gridlock is a problem. As athletes do not stay together, it will be difficult for management.

Meanwhile, the sport village in Palembang is too small. Six athletes will have to share a small toilet. For the Vietnamese delegation, the sport village can host only 12 out of 17 teams. Thanh worried that it would affect athletes’ performance.

Some 593 Vietnamese athletes are set to compete in 36 sporting events for a top three spot SEA Games 2011. Vietnam has also set its sights on martial arts events including vovinam, karate, wushu, taekwondo and judo.  

Thanh told reporters at a press conference last week that Vietnam would do its utmost at the SEA Games against powerhouses including Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore and the hosts to bag at least 70 gold medals.

"One of the toughest tasks will belong to the men's under-23 football team in its quest for top honors," he added, saying that the SEA Games will be a crucial test for Vietnamese athletes ahead of next year's London Olympics.

Sponsors promised to give an immediate cash-prize of VND50 million (US$2,500) to the first five gold medal winners at the event.

The 26th SEA Games will draw athletes from 11 countries to compete in 42 events for 545 medals from November 11-22.

Vietnamese athletes, coaches and officials will join in a seeing-off ceremony at the Opera House in Hanoi on October 30.

In the 25th SEA Games held in Laos two years ago, Vietnam won 83 gold, 75 silver and 57 bronze medals to rank second in the medal tally, just behind Thailand.

PV