SEA Games 2019: Online outrage as Malaysian athlete knocked unconscious by Philippine rival in pencak silat event
- ‘SEAGames2019Fail’ hashtag trending on Twitter after Dines Dunaan awarded controversial silat win over Faizul Nasir
- Video goes viral of host footballer Justin Baas incensing Malaysia team with controversial handshake
The Southeast Asian Games 2019 have proved controversial since even before they opened and that has only intensified since the competition got under way last week.
In the pencak silat, an Indonesian martial art, there was controversy on Tuesday during the Class B bout between Philippine fighter Dines Dumaan and Faizul M. Nasir from Malaysia.
After being dropped to the floor and trying a take-down, the prone Nasir was kicked in the head by defending champion Dumaan and knocked unconscious. Host broadcasters ESPN5 reported it as a chest kick on Twitter.
Dumaan, the 2017 SEA Games Class A gold medallist, was declared the winner to the delight of the home crowd as defending Class B champion Nasir was being carried off on a stretcher.
Reports suggest that Nasir was not treated by Games doctors for three minutes before being rushed to a Clark hospital from the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Centre.
The Malay Mail reported that Nasir expressed his disappointment at not being able to add another gold to those achieved at the last two SEA Games when visited by Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports Steven Sim Chee Keong.
“I told Faizul that he is already a hero in our eyes. I am confident that Malaysians will also be proud of his efforts and achievements,” Sim said after visiting the athlete on Tuesday.
He also said Nasir had undergone a CT scan and was not allowed visitors.
The fighters met in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, where Nasir won to leave Dumaan with a bronze. Nasir went on to lose in the final.
Also on Tuesday, video emerged of the Philippine footballer Justin Baas refusing to shake hands with his Malaysian counterparts ahead of their match last Friday.
That video has now gone viral and been shared with the trending “SEAGames2019Fail” hashtag on Twitter. Another hashtag, “SEAGamesFail2019”, was also trending on the social media site.
The 19-year-old Baas, who plays for the youth team of Dutch side AZ Alkmaar, upsets his Malaysia Under-22 opponents. The hosts went on to win the game 1-0.
This all comes after the hosts have come under scrutiny for their delivery of the event for a variety of issues, from hand-written signs and unprofessional graphic design to a lack of food for competitors.
There have also been reports that some of the athletes were taken to the wrong hotels upon arrival. Another image on social media appears to show laundry hung to dry in the football stadium during a training session.
The Philippines are top of the medal standings of the Games, which run until December 11.
