A fist-sized hole in the wall, an illegal kick in the back, a cry of biased judging — as debuts go, martial art pencak silat’s first Asian Games appearance was a little rocky.
The ancient Indonesian sport — which allegedly originates from when a woman copied the techniques of a tiger to fight off a group of pestering men — has ended up riling athletes and fans, and stirred old tensions among Southeast Asian nations.
Controversy began when Malaysia’s Muhammad Robial Sobri took aim at Singapore’s Sheik Ferdous Sheik Alauddin, powering a hard kick into his back as he lay on the ground.
Photo: AFP
That was followed by a protest from Mohd al-Jufferi Jamari — also a Malaysian, as well as the 2016 world champion — when he withdrew seconds before the end of his final against Indonesia’s Komang Harik Adi Putra, accusing judges of bias.
“I’m mad because the jury didn’t give the point fairly,” al-Jufferi said shortly after punching a hole in a nearby wall.
Although its debut was an undeniable success for Indonesia’s medal tally — they bagged 14 of the 16 golds — it is less clear whether the martial art was a force for good at the Games.
Videos of the incidents were shared widely on social media, and Indonesian spectators watching a clash between Malaysia and Vietnam in the 90-95kg final cheered loudly for the Vietnamese.
Erick Thohir, head of Games’ organizing committee, INASGOC, said the sport had stirred tensions among neighbors.
“Especially regarding pencak silat, there are complaints from the countries which lost,” he said. “Funny, when Indonesia achieved so well, we get complaints.”
“It’s very unfortunate if other countries complain, especially, pardon me, Islamic countries, which we or neighboring Southeast Asia countries have good relationships with or often meet,” he added.
Indonesia and Malaysia have long seen tensions. Disputes have erupted over everything from the ownership of islands and the alleged poor treatment of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia, to the origins of traditional dances and songs.
At the opening ceremony, Malaysian athletes were booed as they paraded through the stadium.
At last year’s Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur, Indonesia accused Malaysia of cheating in the men’s pencak silat doubles by inflating the score of the home athletes.
That accusation came after Malaysian Games organizers mistakenly printed Indonesia’s flag upside-down in a commemorative magazine, prompting protests in Indonesia and revenge hacking attacks.
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen has become the first female player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after the Golden State Valkyries selected her in the third and final round of the league’s draft on Monday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship earlier this month. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament’s most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as
College basketballer Kaitlyn Chen (陳凱玲) has become the first player of Taiwanese descent to be drafted by a WNBA team, after being selected by the Golden State Valkyries in the third and final round of the league's draft yesterday. Chen, a point guard who played her first three seasons in college for Princeton University, transferred to the University of Connecticut (UConn) for her final season, which culminated in a national championship on April 6. While at Princeton, Chen was named the Ivy League tournament's most outstanding player three times from 2022 to last year. Prior to the draft, ESPN described Chen as a
Japan yesterday secured a second consecutive Billie Jean King Cup finals appearance with a 2-1 win over 2023 champions Canada, thanks to Ena Shibahara and Shuko Aoyama’s 6-3, 5-7, 6-2 win over Kayla Cross and Rebecca Marino in the qualifying doubles decider. Shibahara and Aoyama powered through the opening set 6-3, breaking twice for a quick 3-0 lead. Cross and Marino hit back in the second, edging it 7-5 to level the match, before the Japanese pair regained control in the third. Canada’s 18-year-old Victoria Mboko edged Shibahara 6-4, 6-7 (8/10), 7-5 in a marathon opening clash. Mboko fired eight aces to
DAY OF BLOWOUTS: Elsewhere, the Lakers clinched the third seed in the Western Conference with a 140-109 pounding of the under-strength Houston Rockets The Denver Nuggets on Friday improved their playoff position, with a triple double from Nikola Jokic helping them to a 117-109 win over the Memphis Grizzlies. The Serbian put up 26 points, 13 assists and 16 rebounds. The triple-double performance, his 34th this season, ensured that he will finish the regular season as just the third NBA player to average a triple double across an entire season. The win meant the Nuggets improved to 49-32 on the season and gave them a real chance of grabbing fourth place and home-court advantage in the playoffs. Aaron Gordon top scored with 33 points for Denver,
RSS