Games fever missing in the stands
THE athletes have come well prepared after months of training, the officials are all proud of them and there are many local volunteers doing their best to keep the gargantuan sporting event alive and moving in the right direction.
Welcome to the Sarawak Malaysia Games, where all are friendly and helpful, and some athletes have produced Sea Games level achievement.
Unfortunately, nobody is there to watch them.
Save for volunteers, officials, athletes, Rela members, police, medical teams and visiting dignitaries — the people of Kuching have yet to develop Malaysia Games fever.
The taekwondo, rhythmic gymnastics, hockey and cycling events have been empty of Sarawak supporters, and there has been no effort by the organisers to fill the empty seats with schoolchildren.
Entrance is free at all venues, except the opening ceremony tomorrow but even then, no payment is needed for the tickets which will be issued as they are solely for lucky draw purposes.
The five days leading to the opening ceremony have seen only handful of fans and men’s hockey is a prime example.
The beautiful world class pitch has a scenic setting where the background is a beautiful hill which is always covered by mist.
Morning matches are misty, and the climate is cool at SMK Paku in the Bau district which is about 40 minutes drive from Kuching town.
The pitch is smack in the middle of the school and matches are played during school hours.
Unfortunately, SMK Paku students are not allowed to watch the matches being played at the doorsteps of their classes.
School cadets and Rela zealously guard the corridors where students move around, making sure none stray to the pitch which can be seen from the classrooms.
Students are not allowed to watch matches even during recess — a pity really as the artificial pitch was laid at Paku to develop players for greater things.
And for the lack of a velodrome, cycling events were converted to street races and even here one has yet to see the public coming in to watch.
The rhythmic gymnastics venue has seen some Sea Games level performances, but nobody but judges and coaches watched the girls perform.
FT did bring about 50 athletes from their contingent who were not competing on that day to cheer their girls but missing were the fans.
Needless to say, souvenir and food stalls outside the venues have only been visited by the constant cool breeze and pesky flies and hopefully, the people of Kuching develop Malaysia Games fever quickly and make this edition a resounding success.