Peninsular (SEAP) Games, 1959–1975: Celebrating Sports and ... · The History of the South East Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games, 1959–1975: Celebrating Sports and Imagining Nation

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The History of the South East AsianPeninsular (SEAP) Games, 1959–1975:Celebrating Sports and Imagining NationBuilding in a Period of Wars, ShiftingBoundaries and Economic UncertaintyPeng Han Lima & Mohd Salleh Amana

a Sports Centre, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaPublished online: 27 Jul 2015.

To cite this article: Peng Han Lim & Mohd Salleh Aman (2015): The History of the South East AsianPeninsular (SEAP) Games, 1959–1975: Celebrating Sports and Imagining Nation Building in a Periodof Wars, Shifting Boundaries and Economic Uncertainty, The International Journal of the History ofSport, DOI: 10.1080/09523367.2015.1062371

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The History of the South East Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games,1959–1975: Celebrating Sports and Imagining Nation Building in aPeriod of Wars, Shifting Boundaries and Economic Uncertainty

Peng Han Lim* and Mohd Salleh Aman

Sports Centre, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

After the Second World War the Southeast Asian countries of Burma (1948), Laos(1954), Cambodia (1955), South Vietnam (1955), Malaya (1957), and Singapore (1959)sought independence from the British, French and Japanese colonialists. The first postSecond World War and post-colonial biannual multisport Southeast Asian Games washeld in Bangkok in 1959 among these countries (and Thailand) although they wererelatively poor developing countries. Referring to official reports of the eight bi-annualSEAP Games and other sources of information this research studies how theorganization of the eight SEAP Games since 1959 contributed to the nation buildingprocess of each country and shaped the political landscape. This was carried out bycreating a national identity through sports in each country as well as creating a sense ofregional cooperation during periods of war, shifting boundaries and identities. This wasdone through rituals to legitimize newly ascended constitutional monarchies and headsof states, national flags and athletes’ national identity during competition. The SEAPGames also gradually opened avenues for women’s participation similar to femaleathletes in the Olympic Games. It also provided opportunities for promising athletes toshine, improve and compete at higher levels at the Asian and Olympic Games.

Keywords: Southeast Asian Peninsula Games; Sepak Takraw; javelin; swimming;water polo

Introduction

Southeast Asia comprises those states situated to the east of the Indian sub-continent, to

the south of China and the north of Australia. The region is a mixture of mainland and

inland zones into which waves of migration and cultural and religious flows have left

variegated imprints. It is full of cultural and religious diversity, while political boundaries,

the main legacy of colonialism, do not always fit the societies they encompass.1 Mainland

or the Indo-Chinese peninsula contains the countries of Burma (now Myanmar), Siam

(now Thailand), Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, and Malaya, including the island of

Singapore.2 South East Asia’s exposed position also attracted a fairly large minority of

non-indigenous Asians. There were Chinese and Indian immigration into Burma, Malaya,

Sumatra and Java.3

British in the Malay Peninsula, Sarawak, North Borneo and Burma

The British East India Company (EIC) occupied Penang in 1786, Malacca in 1895 and set

up a trading post in Singapore in 1819.4 The British established indirect rule in the

q 2015 Taylor & Francis

*Corresponding author. Email: [email protected]

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Federated Malay States (FMS) in 1896, comprising of Selangor, Perak, Negeri Sembilan

and Pahang.5 By 1914 the Straits Settlements, FMS, and the Unfederated Malay States of

Perlis, Kelantan, Terengganu and Kedah, formed British Malaya.

Burma was carved up by the British in three Anglo-Burmese wars (1824–1826, 1852–

1853 and 1885).6 The third and final Anglo-Burman War of 1885–1886 witnessed the

deposition of the king and final snuffing out of Burma’s independence.7 The whole of

Burma became part of the Indian administrative system.8 Under the Government of Burma

Act which came in force on 1 April 1937, Burma was separated from India and given full

internal autonomy as a transitional form of administrative body between direct colonial

rule and Dominion status. However the date of full independence had not been fixed.9

French Presence in Indo-China

The modern history of Indochina began with French colonization of Cochinchina in 1867

and Tonkin and Annam in 1883.10 The French Governor-General later coerced Norodom

into signing the convention which made Cambodia a de facto colony of France.11 In 1893 a

French naval blockade of Bangkok convinced the Siamese to have a treaty with the French

renouncing of all its rights to territory on the east bank of the Mekong – an arbitrary

demarcation line in view of the fact that most Laotions lived along the west bank – setting

up the demilitarization of a 15-mile zone along the west bank of the river. The territory

which the French were to call Laos came within the administrative framework of the

Indochinese Union, a federation which included the colony of Cochinchina and the

protectorates of Cambodia, Annam and Tonkin.12

The Japanese Invasion of Southeast Asia

On 9 December 1941 the United States, Great Britain and the Netherlands declared war on

Japan. Within five months the Japanese military campaign swept over Southeast Asia,

destroyed the Western colonial empires and took command over this immense territory.13

In Siam the regime continued unchanged although entirely dominated by Japanese

authorities.14 Southeast Asia was a major regional division of the Greater East Asia Co-

prosperity Sphere, consisting of nations which, in varying degrees of subordination, were

to be either direct dependencies of or client states under Japanese hegemony.15 The

Japanese surrendered unconditionally on 15 August 1945 after the first atomic bomb was

dropped on Hiroshima on 6 August killing at least 78,000 people.16

Post Second World War and the Struggle for Independence

Japan had granted the Burmese nominal independence in 1943, and although the Japanese-

sponsored Burma National Army welcomed the return of the British in 1945, after the

assassination of its leader, General Aung San in 19 July 1947, his deputy U Nu went ahead

to negotiate for eventual independence for Burma on 4 January 1948.17

Prime Minister U Nu shared power with two Socialist Party leaders, U Ba Swe and U

Kyaw Nyein.18 However, in March 1962 General Ne Win mounted a coup and set up a

Revolutionary Council to run the country.19

From September 1945 to 1 April 1946 Malaya was re-occupied by the British Military

Administration to assist in the restoration of order and security, labour and administrative

authority.20 A Malaya Union consisting of nine states in the Malay Peninsula and the two

British Settlements of Penang and Malacca was created. Singapore became a separate

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colony in view of its economic and other interests.21 In August 1957 Britain withdrew

from her protectorate over the Malay states and Malaya became an independent nation.

Singapore obtained internal self-government under a separate agreement with Britain in

1958.22 A state election was held in 1959 and the People’s Action Party won.23 Prime

Minister Lee Kuan Yew and his colleagues regarded themselves as the first truly self-

governing leaders of Singapore.24

The First Indochina War, 1945–1954

Immediately following the Japanese surrender on August 1945, the Viet Minh (Vietnam

Independence League) National Liberation Committee headed by Ho Chi Minh read a

Declaration of Independence on 2 September and proclaimed the birth of the Democratic

Republic of Vietnam.25 However, Cochin China’s autonomy granted by the French existed

in paper only considering the French continued to control government offices and only one

third of the territory.26 Fighting began in early 1947 and when the French were finally

compelled to admit defeat in May 1954, Vietnam itself had become divided into two parts

with a communist Viet Minh in the north and the French-sponsored ‘associated state’ of

Vietnam in the south. In 1955 South Vietnam was declared an independent republic, but

North Vietnam remained a separate communist state.27 The Geneva conference ended the

first Indochina War (1946–1954) and divided Vietnam at the 17th parallel. The partition

was to be temporary, for two years, at the end of which elections were to be held to unify

the country. The United States refused to sign the declaration of the Geneva conference

and proceeded to support the Government of South Vietnam, of which Ngo Dinh Diem

had been appoint Premier on 14 June 1954.28

In 1946 the French had no intention of giving Laos genuine independence. In July

1949, a General Convention signed between France and Laos went in some way towards

granting Laos greater independence. However, they were under military pressure from

Vietminh agents and the Pathet Lao in early 1953 in their nationalist struggle. On 22

October 1953 a Treaty of Friendship and Association was sign between the Royal Lao

government and the French granting independence and reaffirming Lao membership of the

French Union.29

French administrators returned to Cambodia in late 1945, but the protectorate was not

re-established. Cambodia was to govern itself but the French had the power of veto over

legislative and regulatory texts and acts, allowing itself to rule Cambodia more or less as it

had before the war.30 In October 1953 the French granted King Sihanouk authority over

Cambodia’s armed forces, judiciary and foreign affairs. However, their economic hold on

the kingdom remained intact.31 Ninety per cent of Cambodia’s inhabitants are ethnic

Khmer.32

Second Indochina War, 1954–1975

A Second Indochina War continued to rage on as a layered conflict. One layer consisted of

the purely local revolutionary and nationalist struggles of the Lao, Cambodian and

Vietnamese peoples. A second was the interstate war consisting of American assault on the

Democratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV) and the DRV’s support of revolutions in Laos

and Cambodia. The contest between the DRV and the southern Republic of Vietnam

(RVN) over the issue of reunification can be viewed as interstate, civil, or both. The third

layer consisted of attempts by the United States, the Soviet Union and China to shape the

outcome of the local conflicts and thus win strategic advantage in Asia.33

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From the years 1960 to 1975 Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Burma appeared to be the

least developed when compared to Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore in terms of per

capita income and GNP growth rates shown in Table 1. On the whole the Southeast Asian

countries’ average of GNP per capita of US$328, except for Singapore and Malaysia, is

below Africa’s GNP per capita of US$390.

The Kingdom of Thailand

The Kingdom of Thailand, once known as Siam, is the only regional state not to have been

subjected to European colonialism. The current Thai state dates from the eighteenth

century when King Rama I founded the Chakri dynasty. In 1932 the absolute monarchy

was overthrown by a military coup.34 The constitution established in 1932 transferred

authority to the People’s Party, retaining the King as a constitutional figurehead with very

little power.35 The reigning King Bhumibol Adulyadej has exercised a unique personal

authority in a constitutional monarchy.36

The First SEAP Games, 12–17 December 1959, Bangkok

On 15 May 1950 the IOC unanimously recognized the Olympic Committee of Thailand.37

Thailand participated in its first international competition at the Asian Games in New

Delhi in 1951 and at the Olympic Games in Helsinki in 1952 without wining any medals.38

On 22 May 1958, representatives of Burma (now Myanmar), Laos, Malaysia and

Thailand, met informally at the Third Asian Games in Tokyo, to discuss a proposal to

organize games similar to the Asian and Olympic Games among countries in the Southeast

Asia Peninsula region. It was felt that a biennial or quadrennial international sports meet in

Southeast Asia would strengthen the existing friendly relations among these countries and

could provide the amateur athletes an avenue to improve their performance in preparation

for the Asian and Olympic Games. It was agreed that the games would be confined to

countries in the Peninsular and to invite Cambodia and Vietnam. Thailand was given the

honour to host the inaugural Southeast Asia Peninsular (SEAP) Games in 1959. Future

hosts for the biennial Games would be rotated in alphabetical order among members of a

SEAP Games Federation to be established to promote and manage the Games. The

Table 1. Population, per capita product and growth rates of selected Southeast Asian countries

Population Growth rates (%)

GNP at market

prices (1975) GNP per capita Growth rates (%)

(000) 1960–1975 US$ millions US$ 1960–75

Vietnam 47,600 n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Thailand 41,870 3.1 14,600 350 4.6

Burma 30,170 2.2 3,320 110 0.7

Malaysia 12,308 2.8 9,340 760 4.0

Laos 3,200 2.4 300 90 n.a.

Singapore 2.250 2.0 5,510 2,450 7.6

Cambodia n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a. n.a.

Average 328

Notes: The computation of the average GNP per capita excluded Singapore since it is a city-state and figures werenot available for Vietnam and Cambodia.Source: World Bank, Atlas: Population, Per Capita Product, and Growth Rates (Washington: World Bank,1977), 6–8.

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constitution of the SEAP Games Federation was adopted in June 1959 and its first

President was General Prabhas Charusatiara, President of the Olympic Committee of

Thailand.39

The first modern Olympic Games were held in 1896 in Athens, Greece, where 14

countries were represented.40 The first AsianGames took place 55 years later in 1951 inNew

Delhi. About 500 men and women athletes took part in six sports disciplines and competed

for medals in 35 events.41 The first Southeast East Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games were

declared opened by the King of Siam, accompanied by the Queen, on 12 December 1959.42

A total of 480 men and 38 women athletes from Burma, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore,

Thailand and Vietnam participated in the games consisting of 12 events for men and two

events (athletics and tennis) for women. Themen’s events consisted of athletics, badminton,

basketball, boxing, cycling, football, shooting, swimming, table tennis, tennis, volleyball

and weightlifting, as compiled in Appendix A.43 The SEAP Games reversible flag had a

light-blue background representing ‘the water or the sky’ that surrounded the participating

countries. Six bright intertwined yellow rings on the flag represented the initial six founding

member countries to ‘denote friendship, brotherly love and unity of purpose’.44

For the first time athletes of various ethnic communities in each participating country

competed under their new respective national flag and symbols and post colonial identity.

Every athlete’s sportswear and warm-up track suit displayed the country and not the

community they represented. Thailand dominated the Games by winning a total of 35 gold

medals, 26 silver medals and 16 bronze medals and Burma was a distant second position

with 11 gold, 15 silver and 14 bronze, as shown in Table 2.

The Second SEAP Games, 11–16 December 1961, Rangoon

The Second SEAP Games was hosted by Burma and were declared opened by the

President, U Win Maung, at the Aung San Memorial Stadium.45 Like Thailand in the First

Games, this was the first time Burma organized a multisport regional games. There was a

total of 564 men and 59 women athletes representing Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaya,

Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam, competing in 13 events.46 Burma overtook Thailand in

the medal standing by winning a total of 82 medals with the former gaining 61 medals, as

compiled in Table 3.

Formation of the Federation of Malaysia in 1963

The new Federation of Malaysia consisting of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and North

Borneo (renamed Sabah) came into being on September 1963.47 On 7 August 1965

Table 2. Total medal tally of the First SEAP Games, 12–17 December, Bangkok, Thailand, 1959

Country Gold Silver Bronze Total

Thailand 35 26 16 77

Burma 11 15 14 40

Malaya 8 15 11 34

Singapore 8 7 18 33

South Vietnam 5 5 5 15

Laos 0 0 0 0

67 68 64 199

Source: Aba Mardjadi, Dari SEAP Games Ke SEA Games [From SEAP Games to SEA Games] (Jakarta: MediaGema Olahraga, 1997) ix.

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Singapore agreed to separate from Malaysia and on 9 August, Singapore became an

independent sovereign nation.48 The separation of Singapore from Malaysia caused a

minor problem in organization and representation, but it was amicably settled. Singapore,

who was offered participation in the Malaysian team, decided to enter the Games as a

separate nation.49 In the same year the SEAP Games Federation (SGF) amended Rule 10

of its constitution, with the approval of all seven SEAP nations, to enable Singapore to

become a full member of the Federation.50

No games were held in 1963 because of Cambodia’s disagreement over a ruling made

by the International Amateur Athletic Federation over its refusal to condemn Indonesia’s

exclusion of Taiwan and Israel from the Asian Games. It was also learnt that Laos, next in

line, might not be able to organize the Games. Thus Malaysia was formally awarded the

honour of holding the Games on 25 February 1964.51

The Third SEAP Games, 14–21 December 1965, Kuala Lumpur

In spite of the ongoing second Indochina war, the Third SEAP Games was held in Kuala

Lumpur, Malaysia from 14 to 21 December 1965. A total of 737 men and 216 women from

all the seven SEAP nations took part in the games. The female participants increased

significantly by making up of 22.7 per cent of the total participants when compared to 9.5

per cent in the 1961 Games, as compiled in Appendix B. However, it can be said that

Cambodia, South Vietnam and Laos were represented by small contingents of 83, 93 and

43 athletes respectively, probably due to the ongoing war that flowed over and spread in

each country’s territory. The Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia officially declared open

the third eight-day SEAP Games.52 This was the first time that the Games opening

ceremony was televised live by Radio Television Malaysia. There was also daily live

coverage of various events from 2.15 pm to 5.00 pm and an half an hour daily report at

9.30 pm, featuring highlights of the daily events.53

This was the first time that Malaysia hosted the SEAP Games. Sepak raga, a traditional

game widely played in Malaysia and Thailand, was played for the first time. Malaysia won

the gold medal and Thailand, the silver medal.54 Water polo was also included in the

Games for the first time with three participating countries, Thailand, Malaysia and

Singapore. Singapore drew with Malaysia in the final round robin match but took the gold

medal with a better goal average.55

The host country managed to improve its second placing below Thailand with a total of

98 medals, as shown in Table 4. The then Federation of Malaya was ranked third in the

Table 3. Total medal tally of the Second SEAP Games, 11–16 December, Rangoon, Burma, 1961

Country Gold Silver Bronze Total

Burma 35 25 22 82

Thailand 21 18 22 61

Malaya 12 15 16 44

South Vietnam 6 1 3 10

Singapore 4 13 13 20

Cambodia 1 6 4 11

Laos 0 0 0 0

79 79 77 235

Source:Organizing Committee, The Second South East Asia Peninsular Games Rangoon 1961: The Report of theOrganizing Committee (Rangoon: The Organizing Committee, 1962), 119.

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overall medal standing at the first and second SEAP Games. Thailand had a major share of

gold medals in tennis, cycling, shooting, boxing and judo.56

The Fourth SEAP Games, 9–16 December 1967, Bangkok

At the SEAP Games Federation meeting in 1965, Cambodia was proposed as the next

hosts of the Fourth SEAP Games by Thailand and this was unanimously agreed to by all

delegates.57 However, the hosting of the Games was cancelled for the second time in its

history. The SEAP Games Federation Council President, General Lon Nol of Cambodia

informed each member country that the authorities responsible for Cambodian sports had

instructed the Cambodian National Olympic Committee to withdraw its membership from

the SEAP Games Federation altogether. This would enable Cambodian athletes to devote

themselves entirely to prepare and organize the controversial GANEFO Games in Phnom

Penh in November 1966. The GANEFO Games was declared irregular and illegal by many

international sports federations.58

The Thai government had already spent a large budget to renovate its main stadium

(Supacharasai) and other sporting venues in 1965 to host the Fifth Asian Games. The

Games took place in Bangkok in December 1966, with 18 countries and a total of 1,945

participants (1,569 males and 375 females) competing in 14 events.59 At an emergency

meeting the SEAP Games Council unanimously requested Thailand the host the

Games.60

The Fourth SEAP Games was held in Bangkok, Thailand from 9 to 14 December 1967.

The King of Thailand formally declared the games opened and urged all Thai sportsmen

and spectators to ‘Strive nobly to win humbly, lose graciously and cheer fairly. Your

actions mirror Thailand to the world. Give your country a good name’.61

A total of 1197 athletes and officials from six participating countries took part in

the Games. It is worthy to note that the Patron of the Games, H.E. King Bhumibol,

and the President of the Organizing Committee, Air Chief Marshall Dawee

Chullasapya, both set a precedent by participating in the Yachting events and winning

Gold medals in the OK Dinghy Class and the Flying Dutchman Class respectively.

Another unique event took place when Her Majesty the Queen presented the Gold

medals to His Majesty the King and Her Royal daughter, a family affair unlikely ever

to be repeated at future Games.62 Thailand convincingly topped the medal tally with

77 gold, 48 silver and 47 bronze medals as compiled in Table 5.

Table 4. Total medal tally of the Third SEAP Games, 14–21 December, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia,1965

Country Gold Silver Bronze Total

Thailand 38 33 35 106

Malaysia 33 36 29 98

Singapore 26 23 27 76

Burma 18 14 16 48

Cambodia 15 19 17 51

South Vietnam 5 7 7 19

Laos 0 0 2 2

135 132 133 400

Source: Organizing Committee, III SEAP Games Report, 156.

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The Fifth SEAP Games, 6–13 December 1969, Rangoon

In 1967 the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was established in Bangkok

comprising the foreign ministers of Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand

and the deputy prime minister of Malaysia. The initial objective was to place regional

reconciliation (in the wake of Indonesia’s Confrontation of Malaysia) within an

institutionalized structure of relations.63

One week before the Fifth SEAP Games to be held in Rangoon, in December 1969,

Singapore proposed to expand the games to include Indonesia and the Philippines.64 The

main opposition to include Indonesia and the Philippines came from the Thai delegates

who felt the Games should be confined to the seven founder members. However,

Singapore’s initiative to invite Cambodia to rejoin the Federation was accepted by the

delegates.65 The Fifth SEAP Games was declared open by a Representative of the

Chairman of the Revolutionary Council, Brigadier San Yu, Minister for National

Planning, Finance and Revenue and Vice-chief of Staff.66 Host Burma lead the medal

tables with 57 gold, 46 silver and 43 bronze medals, as compiled in Table 6.

The Khmer Republic, 1970–1975

King Sihanouk’s Prime Minister, General Lon Nol, took power through a coup d’etat in

1970 and declared the Khmer Republic.67 Lon Nol’s paranoid hatred of Vietnam and the

Vietnamese was matched by his Khmer chauvinism and inflated sense of Khmer

greatness68 The SEAP Games Federation wanted Singapore to host the 1971 Games but

the Republic were unable to host the Games because facilities would not be ready by

1972.69

Table 5. Total medal tally of the Fourth SEAP Games, 9–16 December, Bangkok, Thailand, 1967

Country Gold Silver Bronze Total

Thailand 77 48 47 172

Singapore 28 31 28 87

Malaysia 23 29 43 95

Burma 11 26 32 69

South Vietnam 6 10 17 33

Laos 0 0 3 3

145 144 170 459

Source: Organizing Committee, Official Report: Eighth SEAP Games Bangkok 1975 (Bangkok: The OrganizingCommittee, 1976), 293.

Table 6. Fifth SEAP Games, 6–13 December, Rangoon, Burma, 1969

Country Gold Silver Bronze Total

Burma 57 46 43 146

Thailand 32 32 45 109

Singapore 31 39 23 93

Malaysia 16 24 39 79

South Vietnam 9 5 8 22

Laos 0 0 3 3

145 146 161 452

Source: Organizing Committee, V SEAP Games, 187.

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The Sixth SEAP Games, 19–26 December 1971, Kuala Lumpur

The Yang di-Pertuan Agong of Malaysia opened the sixth SEAP Games at Merdeka

Stadium in Kuala Lumpur in the presence of a crowd of 20,000. Contingents of the seven

participating countries, namely Burma, Khmer (formerly Cambodia), Laos, Malaysia,

Singapore, Thailand and South Vietnam took part in the opening ceremony.70 Malaysia

performed very well by having a total of 139 medals, 30 more medals than Thailand.

However, Thailand was placed first in the medal standing by having 44 gold medals, three

more than Malaysia’s 41 gold medals, as compiled in Table 7.

The Seventh SEAP Games, 1–8 September 1973, Singapore

The Republic of Singapore hosted its first SEAP Games in 1973. About 50,000 people

watched President Sheares declare open the seventh SEAP Games amid spectacular

pageantry in the National Stadium on 1 September 1973.71 Radio and Television

Singapore provided daily ‘live’ telecast of selected matches for athletics, diving,

swimming, water-polo and soccer matches with commentaries in the English and Chinese

languages.72 The city-state, like the previous SEAP Games hosts, did well by garnering a

total of 142 medals and was ranked second in the medal standing by having 45 gold

medals. Thailand was ranked first with 47 gold medals, as shown in Table 8.

The Eighth SEAP Games, 9–16 December 1975, Bangkok

In June 1973 the Honorary Secretary of the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC)

went to Vietnam, Khmer and Laos to find out if these countries would be able to host the

Table 7. Sixth SEAP Games, 11–18 December, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1971

Country Gold Silver Bronze Total

Thailand 44 27 38 109

Malaysia 41 43 55 139

Singapore 32 33 31 96

Burma 20 28 13 61

Khmer 17 18 17 52

South Vietnam 3 6 9 18

Laos 0 1 4 5

157 156 167 480

Source: Organizing Committee, 6th SEAP Games Report 1971 (Kuala Lumpur: The Organizing Committee,1973), 81.

Table 8. Seventh SEAP Games, 1–8 September, Singapore, 1973

Country Gold Silver Bronze Total

Thailand 47 25 28 99

Singapore 45 50 47 142

Malaysia 30 35 49 114

Burma 28 25 15 68

Khmer 9 12 20 41

South Vietnam 2 13 9 24

Laos 0 5 4 9

161 164 172 497

Source: Singapore National Olympic Committee, 7th SEAP Games Report (Singapore: SNOC, 1973), 3.

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Eighth SEAP Games as they had yet to do so. In August 1973 representatives from these

countries explained why they were unable to host the Games and Thailand accepted the

SNOC’s request to organize the Games.73

The Eighth SEAP Games was declared opened by the King of Thailand on 10

December 1975. Only athletes from Burma, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand took part in

the Games. South Vietnam, Laos and Khmer were absent due to ongoing domestic and

territorial conflicts.74 Thailand dominated the Games and the medal tally with the most

gold and silver medals, as shown in Table 9.

Conclusion

Theorganizationof themulti-sportsSEAPGamesbyThailand (1959 and1967),Burma (1961

and 1969),Malaysia (1965 and 1971) and Singapore (1973) provided themwith experience to

improve mass and elite sports development in the post-war and post-colonial era. It also

allowed athletes frompoor countries andwar torn countries likeVietnam,Cambodia andLaos

to participate for the first time in a regional multi-sports event. The Games provided new

opportunities for the athletes and newly formed countries to develop national identities and to

compete at a higher level at either the Asian Games or Olympic Games.

Mass Communication and the SEAP Games

By and large the countries involved in the SEAP Games depended very much on the print

media to reach the general and more specifically the urban population. Although

monochrome was introduced into Thailand in 1955 and to Malaysia75 and Singapore in

1963,76 it was accessible primarily in the urban area, with the exception of Singapore

which is a city-state. Moreover, the number of television sets per 1000 persons in Thailand

and Malaysia in 1970 was seven and 22 respectively, as shown in Table 10. Therefore

Singaporeans, Malaysians and the Burmese were very much dependent on the sport pages

of their newspapers for the reporting of the Games.

The anti-communist President Ngo Dinh Diem ruled South Vietnam from 1954 to

1963 as a dictator closing down newspapers critical of his government. Following Diem’s

demise, General Nguyen Van Thieu consolidated his rule in 1968, by continuing to weed

out opposition papers.77 The Vietnamese were fed with the state controlled press and had

very little inkling of what was happening in the outside world. Like Vietnam, the media

infrastructure in Cambodia and Laos was almost non-existent due to uncertain regime

changes, war damage and destruction.

Women and the SEAP Games

During the inaugural Games in 1959, a total of 38 women from four countries competed in

two events, athletics and tennis. Laos and Singapore did not have any female athletes in

Table 9. Eighth SEAP Games, 9–16 December, Bangkok, Thailand, 1975

Country Gold Silver Bronze Total

Thailand 79 45 39 163

Singapore 38 42 49 129

Burma 28 35 33 96

Malaysia 27 48 51 126

Total 173 171 172 514

Source: Organizing Committee, Official Report: Eight SEAP Games, 293.

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their contingent as shown in Appendices A and B. No women were allowed to compete at

the first modern Olympic Games. In 1900, in Paris, women participated for the first time,

but only in tennis. In 1904, in St Louis, archery was added. In 1924, in Paris, there was a

women’s event for fencing. It was not until in the Amsterdam Olympic Games of 1928 that

women took part in athletics for the first time.78

At the 1959 SEAP Games, women comprised of 7.3 per cent of the total participants,

as compiled in Table 11, whereas women athletes at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games

consisted of 11.4 per cent of all competitors. However, from 1961 to 1975 the women’s

events increased from six to eight and the percentage of women athletes out of the total

number of competitors increased to 22.7 per cent in 1965, 21.4 per cent in 1969, 28.2 per

cent in 1973 and 18.7 per cent in 1975. The SEAP Games had greater female

representation than the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games (13.4 per cent), 1968 Mexico

Olympic Games (14.2 per cent) and the 1972 Munich Olympic Games (14.6 per cent).

This greater women’s representation in the SEAP Games suggest that women of

participating countries were not neglected and were given sufficient opportunities in

represent their respective countries and contribute towards a national identity through

sports as part of nation building.

Table 10. Key indicators of media development in each SEAP games country

Country

Population in

1975 (million)

Daily newspaper

circulation in 1970

(copies per 1000 person)

TV receivers in

1970 (sets per

1000 persons)

Thailand 41.39 23 7

Burma 29.9 15 NA

Malaysia 11.61 75 22

Singapore 2.26 2000 76

South Vietnam NA NA NA

Cambodia 7.10 NA NA

Laos 3.43 NA NA

Sources: Asian Development Bank, Key Indicators of Developing Member Countries of ADB (Makati: EconomicOffice/Asian Development Bank, 1987), 1–2; Organising Committee, V Seap Games, 188; Programme,Technical and Facilities Sub-Committee, 7th SEAP Games, Singapore 1973, 1–8 September: Register of Entries(Singapore: Singapore National Olympic Committee, 1973), ii; Organizing Committee, Official Report: EighthSEAP Games, 295.

Table 11. Comparing the percentage of women participation in the Olympic Games and the SEAPGames, 1959–1976

Olympic

games

Total

competitors Women SEAP games

Total

competitors Women

1960, Rome 5,348 610 (11.4%) 1959, Bangkok 518 38 (7.3%)

1964, Tokyo 5,081 683 (13.4%) 1965, Kuala Lumpur 953 216 (22.7%)

1968, Mexico 5,423 768 (14.2%) 1969, Rangoon 920 197 (21.4%)

1972, Munich 7,173 1,058 (14.6%) 1973, Singapore 1,447 408 (28.2%)

1976, Montreal 6,024 1,246 (20.7%) 1975, Bangkok 977 183 (18.7%)

Sources: David Wallechinsky and Jaime Loucky, The Complete Book of the Olympics: 2012 Edition (London:Aurum Press, 2012), 1; Organising Committee, V Seap Games, 188; Programme, Technical and Facilities Sub-Committee, 7th SEAP Games, Singapore 1973 1–8 September: Register of Entries, ii; Organizing Committee,Official Report: Eighth SEAP Games, 295.

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Outstanding Athletes of the SEAP Games

The Thais dominate in boxing, cycling and shooting. The Burmese lead in athletics and

weightlifting and Singapore in swimming and yachting. But generally, the gold medals

have been distributed evenly, with Malaysia a fair share of all round strengths. South

Vietnam, Cambodia (Khmer) and Laos did not fare well because of the wars in their

countries.79 From the years 1965 to 1973 Singapore’s Patricia Chan won a total of 39 gold

medals in the individual and relay swimming events, as compiled in Appendix C. It was a

feat that will not be equaled for a long time. She was also the only female athlete to win 10

gold medals on each meeting in 1967 and 196980

Male Singapore swimmers with multiple medals included Tan Thuan Heng’s 27 gold

medals, Alex Chan’s 15 gold medals and Roy Chan’s 11 gold medals gathered in their

individual and relay events spanning over several SEAP Games, as compiled in Appendix

D. The only male athlete with the highest (seven) gold medals in one single Games was

Thai cyclist Preeda Chullamondhol’s sterling performance in 1967.81

The most decorated men’s long distance runner was Burma’s Sumbwegan with six

Games totaling five gold, three silver and one bronze medals, noting particularly his

double goal medal performances in the 10,000 metres and marathon in 1965 and 1967 as

shown in Appendix E. He obtained his last silver medal in the marathon in 1971 when 47

years old.82 Another notable Burmese middle and long distance runner was Jimmy

Crampton with nine gold and two silver medals in the 800 metres, 1,500 metres and 5,000

metres events from 1969 to 1975. The Burmese began to employ two German coaches in

the early 1970s to specialize on the middle and long distance races.83 The outstanding

sprinter of the Games was Thailand’s Anat Ratanapol with a 10 gold medal haul for the

100metres, 200metres, 4 £ 100metres relay and the 200metres relay. The 24-year-old

army lietenant was voted top male athlete of the Sixth SEAP Games for winning the 100

and 200metres and anchoring Thailand to victory in the 4 £ 100metres relay.84 In 1979, a

statue of Anat Ratanapol was erected at the Hockey Stadium in Bangkok after he won the

1970 and 1974 Asian Games 100 and 200metres titles.85 After winning the 200metres

Asian Games gold medal, Anat observed that ‘his countrymen have learnt to appreciate

and take up athletics’.86

The most consistent field athletes were Malaysian Kamaruddin Maidin with four

consecutive gold medals (1959–1967) in the men’s long jump, Malaysian Nashatar Singh

with six consecutive (1965–1975) gold medals in the men’s javelin, and Burmese Jennifer

Tin Lay’s five consecutive gold medal (1967–1975) in the women’s shot put, as compiled

in Appendix F.

In the team events the Singapore water polo team won consecutively all six gold

medals after water polo was introduced at the Games in 1965.87 The SEAP Games saw the

inclusion of an indigenous Asian and Southeast Asian game, sepak takraw men’s team

event, included in the 1965, 1971, 1973 and 1975 Games series, thus shaping the Games

with its own regional identity.

The First Olympic Medal from SEAP Games Participants and Countries

Thailand’s fly weightlifter Chaiya Sukchinda had the distinction of obtaining gold medals

six times in a row from 1959 to 197188 and also breaking the world flyweight record lift of

264 12lb held by a Russian for the clean and jerk.89 However, Singaporean weightlifter Tan

Howe Liang who won a gold medal for the lightweight weightlifting event at the inaugural

Games90 was the first Southeast Asian athlete to win an Olympic medal by coming in

second for the lightweight weightlifting event at the 1960 Rome Olympic Games.91

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It was not until 1976 that Thailand achieved an Olympic bronze medal in boxing at the

Montreal Olympic Games.92 In 1992 Malaysia’s Razif and Jailani Sidek made history by

winning the country’s first bronze medals for the badminton men’s double event at the

Barcelona Olympic Games.93

Postscript: From SEAP Games (1959–1975) to the SEA Games (1977–2013)

The Khmer Rouge seized power on 17 April 1975 in the name of the Royal Government

of National Unification. On 5 January 1976 a new constitution was promulgated in

Phnom Penh establishing the State of Democratic Kampucha.94 On 26 April 1976, the

first anniversary of the northern victory, elections was held for the national assembly of

all Vietnam. By July 1976 the two Vietnams were formally unified, the DVR dissolved,

and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV) proclaimed with Hanoi as its capital.95 The

Lao People’s Revolutionary Party, which was created from the Communist Party of

Indochina, consolidated its power in the wake of the Communist victory in Vietnam.

In December 1975 it established the Lao’s Democratic Republic, displacing the

Kingdom of Laos.96

In December 1969 Singapore proposed to expand the games to include Indonesia and

the Philippines. However, the proposal was not accepted. The proposal to change the name

of SEAP to Southeast Asian Games was also shelved.97 The main opposition to include

Indonesia and the Philippines came from the Thai delegates who felt the Games should be

confined to the seven founder members.98 However, Laos, Cambodia and South Vietnam

withdrew from the Games in 1975 as they were approaching the end of their state of war

and conflict.99

In 1975 Malaysia agreed to host the 1977 Games on the condition that Indonesia

and the Philippines were invited to join the SEAP Games Federation, ten years after

this idea was met with strong disapproval. This proposal was unanimously approved by

the SEAP Games Federation Council with the absence of the Lao, Cambodia and South

Vietnam delegates.100 In 1977 Thailand, Malaysia, Burma, Singapore and new comers,

Indonesia, Philippines and Brunei participated in the Ninth Southeast East Asian

(SEA) Games.101 Against all odds the spirit of the Games prevailed. The Malaysians

believed the Vietnamese, Laotians and Cambodians would be joining the Games sooner

rather than later.102 Cambodia returned to the Games in 1983, followed by Vietnam and

Laos in 1989. The second part of the enduring history of the SEA Games (1977–2013)

about the contribution and unique legacy of these regional Games remains to be told.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on Contributors

Associate Professor Mohd Salleh Aman is the Director and Dean of the University of Malaya’sSports Centre.

Dr Lim Peng Han obtained his PhD from the Department of Information Science at LoughboroughUniversity in 2012. He is currently the Visiting Research Fellow at the Sports Centre, University ofMalaya.

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Notes

1. Michael Leifer, Dictionary of the Modern Politics of South-East Asia (London: Routledge,1995), 1.

2. Brian Harrison, Southeast Asia: A Short History (London: Macmillan, 1966), ix–x.3. J.S. Furnivall, Netherlands India (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1939), xv.4. J. Watson, Straits Settlements Annual Report of the Education Department for the Year 1929

(Singapore: Government Printing Office, 1930), 891.5. Khoo Kay Kim, ‘The Formation of the Federated Malay States’, in Cheah Boon Kheng (ed.),

The Encyclopaedia of Malaysia: Early Modern History (Singapore: Archipelago Press,2001), 80–81.

6. Michael W. Charney, A History of Modern Burma (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press,2009), 5.

7. John F. Cady, A History of Modern Burma (New York: Cornell University Press, 1958), 67–68.

8. F.S.V. Donnison, Burma (London: Ernest Benn Limited, 1970), 75.9. Jan Pluvier, Southeast Asia From Colonialism to Independence (Kuala Lumpur: Oxford

University Press, 1974), 8.10. ‘Joy Jumper and Marjorie Weiner Normand, “Vietnam”’, in George McTurnan Kahin (ed.),

Governments and Politics of Southeast Asia (New York: Cornell University Press, 1964),382–383.

11. Roger M. Smith, ‘Cambodia’, in George McTurnan Kahin (ed.), Governments and Politics ofSoutheast Asia (New York: Cornell University Press, 1964), 600–601.

12. Roger M. Smith, ‘Laos’, in George McTurnan Kahin (ed.), Governments and Politics ofSoutheast Asia (New York: Cornell University Press, 1964), 532–533.

13. Pluvier, South-East Asia, 167–187.14. F.S.V. Donnison, British Military Administration in the Far East: 1943–1946 (London: Her

Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1956), 5.15. Pluvier, South-East Asia, 191–192.16. M.C. Ricklefs, A History of Indonesia Since c. 1200, 3rd ed. (Hamshire: Palgrave, 2001),

259–260.17. Leifer, Dictionary of the Modern Politics, 54.18. Cady, A History of Modern Burma, 628.19. Leifer, Dictionary of the Modern Politics, 8.20. Donnison, British Military Administration, 156–170.21. ‘Singapore to Remain a Separate Colony’, Straits Times, 12 October 1945.22. Harrison, Southeast Asia, 256.23. ‘PAP Romps Home With Landslide Victory’, Straits Times, 31 May 1959, 1.24. J. Norman Palmer, ‘Malaysia’, in George McTurnan Kahin (ed.),Governments and Politics of

Southeast Asia (New York: Cornell University Press, 1964), 303–304.25. Jumper and Normand, ‘Vietnam’, 391–392.26. Pluvier, South-East Asia, 433.27. Harrison, Southeast Asia, 255.28. D.R. SarDesai, Vietnam: The Struggle for National Identity, 2nd ed. (Boulder: Westview

Press, 1992), 63–66.29. Martin Stuart-Fox, A History of Laos (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1997),

68–83.30. Smith, ‘Cambodia’, 607.31. David Chandler, A History of Cambodia, 4th ed. (Colorado: Westview Press, 2008), 227.32. Jan Ovesen and Ing-Britt Trankell, ‘Cambodia’, in Colin Mackerras (ed.), Ethnicity in Asia

(London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003), 194.33. William S. Turley, The Second Indochina War: A Concise and Military History, 2nd ed.

(Lanham: Rowland & Littlefield Publishers, Inc, 2009), 1–2.34. Leifer, Dictionary of the Modern Politics, 33.35. David K. Wyatt, Thailand: A Short History (New Haven: Yale University Press, 2003), 233.36. Leifer, Dictionary of the Modern Politics, 33.37. National Olympic Committee of Thailand, ‘Establishment of the Olympic Committee of

Thailand Under the Royal Patronage of H.M. the King’, National Olympic Committee ofThailand, http://www.olympicthai.or.th/eng/01about_e.html

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38. Sombat Karnjanakit and Supitr Samahoto, ‘Thailand and the Asian Games: Copingwith Crisis’, in Fan Hong (ed.), Sport, Nationalism and Orientalism (London: Routledge,2007), 37–38.

39. Ong Poh Choo, ‘History of the SEA Games’, Sports 21, no. 2 (1993), 29.40. David Miller, The Official History of the Olympic Games and the IOC: Athens to Beijing

1894–2008 (Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing Company, 2008), 40.41. Mithlesh K. Singh Sisodia, ‘India and the Asian Games: From Infancy to Maturity’, in Fan

Hong (ed.), Sport, Nationalism and Orientalism (London: Routledge, 2007), 4–5.42. ‘Colourful Games Opening’, Straits Times, 13 December 1959, 23.43. Organizing Committee, The Official Report of the Organizing Committee for the First South

East Asia Peninsular Games (Bangkok: The Organizing Committee, 1960), 60.44. Organizing Committee, The Official Report of the Organizing Committee for the First South

East Asia Peninsular Games, 17.45. ‘Malaysians Tipped Top Honours in Athletes’, Straits Times, 12 December 1961, 19.46. Organizing Committee, The Second South East Asia Peninsular Games Rangoon 1961: The

Report of the Organizing Committee (Rangoon: The Organizing Committee, 1962), 118.47. Harrison, Southeast Asia, 256.48. Ministry of Culture, Singapore Year Book 1964 (Singapore: Ministry of Culture, 1965),

10–11.49. Organising Committee, III SEAP Games: Kuala Lumpur 1965 (Kuala Lumpur: South East

Asia Peninsular Games Federation, 1966), 36.50. Ernest Frida, ‘Games in Pnom Penh’, Straits Times, 22 December 1965, 22.51. Organising Committee, III SEAP Games Report, 36.52. Mansoor Rahman, ‘King to Open the Capital’s First SEAP Games at Impressive Ceremony’,

Straits Times, 12 December 1965, 16.53. ‘TV Live and Well’, Straits Times, 17 December 1965, 12.54. Organising Committee, III SEAP Games Report, 130.55. Ibid, 136.56. Lim Kee Chan, ‘World Record’, Straits Times, 16 December 1965, 22.57. Ernest Frida, ‘Games in Pnom Penh’, Straits Times, Straits Times, 22 December 1965, 22.58. Organising Council, Fourth SEAP Games Bangkok: Official Report (Bangkok: Organising

Council, 1968), 13.59. Karnjanakit and Samahoto, ‘Thailand and the Asian Games’, 39.60. Organising Council, Fourth SEAP Games Bangkok: Official Report (Bangkok: Organising

Council, 1967), 13.61. Norman Siebel, ‘King to Sportsmen in Sunswept Stadium: Strive Nobly to Win Humbly and

Lose Graciously’, Straits Times, 10 December 1967, 20.62. Organising Committee, V SEAP Games: Official Report Rangoon, 1969 (Rangoon:

Organizing Committee, 1970), 24.63. Leifer, Dictionary of the Modern Politics, 50.64. ‘A Boost for Sports’, Straits Times, 7 December 1969, 10.65. ‘Stage the Games in 1971 Appeal to Singapore’, Straits Times, 7 December 1969, 23.66. Organizing Committee, V SEAP Games, 35.67. Ovesen and Trankell, ‘Cambodia’, 196.68. Marie Alexandrine Martin, Cambodia a Shattered Society, revised and updated (Berkeley:

University of California Press, 1994), 130.69. ‘Stage the Games in 1971 Appeal to Singapore’, Straits Times, 7 December 1969, 23.70. ‘20,000 Cheers as King Opens 6th Seap Games’, Straits Times, 12 December 1971, 1.71. R. Chandran, ‘Sheares opens SEAP Games’, Straits Times, 2 September 1973, 1.72. ‘When to Tune in to Today’s Games’, Straits Times, 2 September 1973, 7.73. Organizing Committee, Official Report: Eighth SEAP Games, 2.74. ‘Condensed Games–the Last of the SEAP Series?’, Straits Times, 9 December 1975, 30.75. ‘TV Malaysia (Only Four years Old) is “Baby” of the Ministry’, Straits Times, 17 February

1968, 26.76. Tan Yew Soon and Soh Yew Peng, The Development of Singapore’s Modern Media Industry

(Singapore: Times Academic Press, 1994), 66.77. David G. Marr, ‘Introduction’, in David G. Marr (ed.), The Mass Media in Vietnam (Canberra:

Australian National University, 1998), 3.

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78. Xenophon L. Messinesi, The History of the Olympic Games (New York: Drake Publishers Inc,1976), 85–86.

79. Teoh Eng Huat, ‘Thank You for a Great Show’, Straits Times, 9 September 1973, 24.80. Tony Francis, ‘I Want to Catch Up onWhat I Have BeenMissing’, Straits Times, 9 September

1973, 24.81. Norman Siebel, ‘Ten-Gold Pat–Girl With Midas Touch’, Straits Times, 16 December 1967,

22.82. E. Frida, ‘Burma’s Pride Will Find it Tough to Get a Treble’, Straits Times, 11 December

1971, 29.83. Tan Kim Seng, ‘Burma’s Quiet Confidence’, Straits Times, 23 November 1975, 14.84. ‘Anat Voted Meet’s Best’, Straits Times, 18 December 1979, 30.85. ‘Ratanapol Honoured’, Straits Times, 21 November 1979, 34.86. ‘Anat: I Run for My People’, New Nation, 1 September 1973, 10.87. Albert Johnson, ‘It Means So Much to Me’, Straits Times, 2 February 1977, 23.88. ‘Record 6th by Chaiya’, Straits Times, 14 December 1971, 29.89. Lim Kee Chan, ‘World Record’, Straits Times, 16 December 1965, 22.90. Organizing Committee, The Official Report, 28.91. ‘Tan Roars Through to a Silver’ Straits Times, 9 September 1960, 1.92. Sombat Karnjanakit and Supitr Samahoto, ‘Thailand and the Asian Games’, 38.93. Roy Ward, ‘Men’s Doubles’, World Badminton 20, no. 3 (1992), 15.94. Leifer, Dictionary of the Modern Politics, 33.95. SarDesai, Vietnam, 109.96. Leifer, Dictionary of the Modern Politics, 77.97. ‘A Boost for Sports’, Straits Times, 7 December 1969, p. 10.98. ‘Stage the Games in 1971 Appeal to Singapore’, Straits Times, 7 December 1969, 23.99. ‘New Life for the Games’, Asiaweek 3, no. 47 (1977): 31.100. Percy Seneviratne, ‘SEAP to be Expanded’, Straits Times, 13 December 1975, 31.101. Aba Mardjadi, Dari SEAP Games Ke SEA Games [From SEAP Games to SEA Games], xiii.102. ‘New Life for the Games’, 31.

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Appendix A

Table A1. Type of sports for men and women at the SEAP Games, 1959–1975

1959 1961 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975

M W M W M W M W M W M W M W M W

Athletics X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Badminton X – X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Basketball X – X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Bowling – – – – – – – – – – – – – – X X

Boxing X – X – X – X – X – X – X – X –

Cycling X – X – X – X – X – X – X – X –

Football X – X – X – X – X – X – X – X –

Gymnastics – – – – – – – – X – – – – – – –

Hockey – – – – – – – – – – X – X – X –

Judo – – – – X – X – X – X – X – X –

Rugby – – – – – – X – – – – – – – X –

Sailing – – X X* – – X X* X – – – X – X –

Sepak Takraw – – – – X – X – – – X – X – X –

Shooting X – X – X – X – X – X – X – X –

Swimming X – X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Table Tennis X – X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Tennis X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Volleyball X – X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Waterpolo – – – – X – X – X – X – X – X –

Weightlifting X – X – X – X – X – X – X – X –

12 2 13 6 15 7 17 8 17 7 16 8 17 7 19 8

Notes: *There was a woman participant in the yachting event in 1961 and 1967.Sources: Organizing Committee, The Official Report, 60; Organizing Committee, The Second South East, 118;Organizing Committee, III SEAP Games Report, 158; Organizing Committee, Fourth SEAP Games, 188;Organizing Committee, V SEAP Games, 188; Organizing Committee, 6th SEAP Games, 81; Professional,Technical and Facilities Committee, 7th SEAP Games, ii; Organizing Committee, Official Report: Eighth SEAPGames, 295.

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Appendix

B

Table

B1.

Number

ofmen

andwomen

participantsfrom

each

countryat

theSEAPGam

es,1959–1975

1959

1961

1965

1967

1969

1971

1973

1975

Thailand

115/21

119/21

172/63

224/66

139/29

NA

215/51

265/65

Burm

a98/4

120/27

63/24

116/34

193/66

NA

83/17

117/19

Malaysia

57/9

78/9

166/46

194/54

145/39

NA

235/67

216/54

Singapore

54/0

48/2

148/51

106/16

112/46

NA

302/240

196/45

Laos

36/0

68/0

42/1

70/12

64/12

NA

52/0

Absent

South

Vietnam

80/4

44/0

83/10

83/9

70/5

NA

62/3

Absent

Cam

bodia/Khmer

Absent

87/0

63/21

Absent

Absent

NA

90/30

Absent

Totalmen

480(92.7%)

564(90.5%)

737(77.3%)

793(80.6%)

723(78.6%)

NA

1,039(71.8%)

794(81.3%)

Totalwomen

38(7.3%)

59(9.5%)

216(22.7%)

191(19.4%)

197(21.4%)

NA

408(28.2%)

183(18.7%)

Totalparticipants

518

623

953

984

920

967

1,447

977

Notes:

NA

meansnotavailable.

Sources:OrganizingCommittee,

VSEAP

Games,188;OrganizingCommittee,

6th

SEAP

Games,81;Professional,Technical

andFacilitiesCommittee,

7th

SEAP

Games,ii;

OrganizingCommittee,OfficialReport:Eighth

SEAPGames,295;OrganizingCommittee,IIISEAPGames

Report,136–145.

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Appendix C

Outstanding Swimmer and Athlete of the SEAP Games, 1959–1975

Table C1. Singaporean Patricia Chan’s 39 gold medals, 1965–1973

Events 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973

100 metres freestyle (G) 1: 08.8 (G) 1: 07.1 (G) 1: 05.9 (G) 1:04.74 (G) 1: 03.47

200 metres freestyle (G) 2: 36.3 (G) 2: 26.3 (G) 2: 25.6 (G) 2:21.62 –

400 metres freestyle (G) 5: 28.3 (G) 5: 01.5 (G) 5: 01.7 (G) 5:01.39 –

100 metres butterfly (G) 1: 14.3 (G) 1: 13.1 (G) 1: 11.4 – –

200 metres butterfly (G) 2: 52.9 (G) 2: 46.7 (G) 2: 39.1 – –

100 metres backstroke – (G) 1: 15.2 (G) 1: 13.9 – (G) 1: 12.73

200 metres backstroke – (G) 2: 45.0 (G) 2: 38.9 – (G) 2: 34.90

200 metres medley (G) 2: 52.9 (G) 2: 45.7 (G) 2: 40.0 – (G) 2: 37.24

4 £ 100 metres freestyle (G) 4: 58.4 (G) 4: 43.5 (G) 4: 38.5 (G) 4:32.63 (G) 4: 25.24

4 £ 100 metres medley (G) 5: 27.9 (G) 5: 12.3 (G) 5: 01.8 (G) 5:00.07 (G) 4. 58.16

Total: 39 gold medals 8 (G) 10 (G) 10 (G) 5 (G) 6 (G)

Note: G, gold medal; S, silver medal; B, bronze medal.Sources: Organizing Committee, Fourth SEAP Games, 180–184; Organizing Committee, V SEAP Games, 140–144; Organizing Committee, 6th SEAP Games, 144 & 148; Singapore National Olympic Committee, 7th SEAPGames Report.

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Appendix

D

OutstandingMale

Swim

mersoftheSEAPGames,1959–1975

Table

D1.

Singaporean

Tan

Thuan

Heng’s

27gold,7silver

and1bronze

medals,1961–1975

Swim

mingevents

1961

1965

1967

1969

1971

1973

1975

100metresfreestyle

–G

0.57.9

G0.56.7

G0.57.4

G0.57.0

–G

0.56.9

200metresfreestyle

B2:19.5

G2:07.9

G2:05.5

G2:06.4

G2:07.1

––

400metresfreestyle

S4:56.4

G4:33.4

G4:34.9

G4:39.6

G4:39.1

––

400metresmedley

–G

5:25.1

––

––

–

1,500metresfreestyle

S19:11.1

S18:54.6

G19:12.1

––

––

4£100metresfree

–G

4:28.3

S4:01.4

G3:54.8

G3:51.5

G3:47.8

G3:50.2

4£200metresfree

S9:35.1

S9:11.9

S9:08.7

G8:45.8

G8:46.2

G8:37.7

G8:37.5

4£100medleyrelay

––

S4:32.0

–S3:51.1

S4:20.4

G3:50.2

TotalG

(27),S(7),B(1)

S(2),B(1)

G(5),S(2)

G(4),S(3)

G(5)

G(5)

G(3),S(1)

G(4)

Note:G,gold

medal;S,silver

medal;B,bronze

medal.

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Table D2. Singaporean Alex Chan’s 15 gold, 8 silver and1 bronze medals, 1965–1973

Swimming events 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973

100 freestyle – – – – B 57.6

1,500 freestyle – – G 19:02.1 –

100 metres backstroke S 1:10.2 G 1:06.3 G 1:06.8 S 1:06.6

200 metres backstroke – G 2:27.3 G 2:27.8 –

200 metres butterfly S 2:31.4 G 2:22.6 – –

400 metres individual medley – G 5:17.6 G 5:12.2 –

4 £ 100 metres medley – S 4:32.0 – S 4:20.4 G 4:14.3

4 £ X 100 metres freestyle G 4:28.3 S 4:01.4 G 3.54.8 G 3:51.5 G 3:47.8

4 £ 200 metres freestyle S 9:11.1 S 9:08.7 G 8:45.8 G 8:46.2 –

Total G (15), S (8), B (1) G (1), S (3) G (4), S (3) G (6) G (2), S (2) G (2), B (1)

Table D3. Singaporean Roy Chan’s 13 gold and 6 silver medals, 1969–1975

Swimming events 1969 1971 1973 1975

1,500 metres freestyle S 19:08.6 – – –

100 metres backstroke S 1:08.6 – – –

200 metres backstroke S 2:29.1 – – –

100 metres butterfly – G 1:02.4 G 1:00.9 S 1:02.7

200 metres butterfly – G 2:20.3 G 2:14.1 –

400 metres individual medley S 5:19.4 G 5:11.9 G 5:00.2 –

4 £ 100 metres medley relay – S 4:20.44 G 4:13.3 –

4 £ 100 metres freestyle – G 3:51.1 G 3:47.8 –

4 £ 200 metres freestyle G 8:45.8 G 8:46.2 G 8:37.2 G 8:37.5

Total G (13), S (6) G (1), S (4) G (5) G (6) G (1), S (1)

Notes: G, gold medal; S, silver medal; B, bronze medal.Sources: Organizing Committee, The Second South East, 85–88; Organising Committee, III SEAP GamesReport, 136–141; Organising Council, Fourth SEAP Games, 171–178; Organizing Committee, V SEAP Games,134–139; Organizing Committee, 6th SEAP Games, 143–147; Singapore National Olympic Committee, 7thSEAP Games Report; Organizing Committee, Official Report: Eighth SEAP Games, 237–242.

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Appendix

E

OutstandingRunnersoftheSEAPGames,1959–1975

Table

E1.

Burm

a’sSumbwegan’s

fivegold,threesilver

andonebronze

medals,1959–1971

1959

1961

1965

1967

1969

1971

5,000metres

B16:17.5

S15:47.5

––

––

10,000metres

S35:12.8

–G

33:20.4

G33:49.6

G32:49.6

–

Marathon

G306:20.0

S255:34.0

G231:00.8

S240:27.6

G(5),S(3),B(1)

S(1),S(1),B(1)

S(1)

G(2)

G(1),S(1)

G(2)

S(1)

Note:G,gold

medal;S,silver

medal;B,bronze

medal.

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Table E2. Burma’s Jimmy Crampton’s nine gold and two silver medals, 1969–1975

1969 1971 1973 1975

800 metres G 1:54.8 S 1:51.8 G 1:51.4 G 1:52.7

1,500 metres G 3:57.7 G 3:55.8 G 3:52.8 G 3:56.7

5,000 metres G 15:20.0 G 15:38.6 – –

4 £ 400 metres relay S 3:16.1 – – –

G (9), S (2) G (3), S (1) G (2), S (1) G (2) G (2)

Table E3. Thailand’s Anat Ratanapol’s 11 gold, three silver and one bronze medals, 1967–1975

1967 1969 1971 1973 1975

Men’s 100 metres – – G 10.7 G 10.5 G 10.4

Men’s 200 metres – – G 21.3 G 21.6 G 21.3

4 £ 100 metres relay G 41.0 S 41.3 G 40.9 G 40.7 G 40.7

4 £ 200 metres relay – – – – G 1:25.0

4 £ 400 metres relay – – S 3:16.3 B 3:12.0 S 3:13.9

Total G (11), S (3), B (1) G (1) S (1) G (3), S (1) G (3), 1 (B) G (4), S (1)

Sources: Organizing Committee, The Official Report, 2; Organizing Committee, The Second South East, 41;Organizing Committee, III SEAP Games Report, 100–101; Organizing Commitee, Fourth SEAP Games, 82–83& 88; Organizing Committee, V SEAP Games, 48–49 & 55; Organizing Committee, 6th SEAP Games, 97–103;Singapore National Olympic Committee, 7th SEAP Games Report; Organizing Committee, Official Report:Eighth SEAP Games, 108–114.

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Appendix F

Outstanding Field Athletes of the SEAP Games, 1959–1975

Table F1. Malaysian Kamaruddin Maidin’s five gold and one silver medals, 1959–1967

Jumping evnets 1959 1961 1965 1967

Long jump G 6.76m G 6.79m G 7.26m G 7.10m

Triple jump – – G 15.19m S 14.31m

G (5), S (1) G (1) G (1) G (2) G (1), S (1)

Note: G, gold medal; S, silver medal; B, bronze medal

Table F2. Malaysian Nathatar Singh’s eight gold, one silver and two bronze medals, 1965–1975

1961 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975

Javelin – G 71.54m G 70.54m G 69.22m G 70.52m G 66.60m G 64.20m

Shot putt B 12.36m B 13.76m G 14.42m G 14.42m S 14.42m – B 13.76m

Discus B 36.82m – – – – – –

G (8), S (1),

B (4)

B (2) G (1), B (1) G (2) G (2) G (1), S (1) G (1) G (1), B (1)

Table F3. Burmese Jennifer Tin Lay’s seven gold and one silver medals, 1967–1975

Throwing events 1967 1969 1971 1973 1975

Shot putt G 12.11m G 13.22m G 14.21m G 13.74m G 12.98m

Discus – – S 38.32m G 41.60m G 43.66m

Total G (7), S (1) G (1) G (1) G (1), S (1) G (2) G (2)

Sources: Organizing Committee, The Official Report, 4; Organizing Committee, The Second South East, 43–45;Organising Committee, III SEAP Games Report, 103–104; Organising Committee, Fourth SEAP Games, 103–104 & 108; Organizing Committee, V SEAP Games, 54–55 & 61; Organizing Committee, 6th SEAP Games,106–107 & 112–113; Singapore National Olympic Committee, 7th SEAP Games Report; OrganizingCommittee, Official Report: Eight SEAP Games, 117–118 & 128.

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