The Malaysian Sports Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob did a most un-ASEAN thing and hit out at the Laotians, calling the upcoming South-east Asia Games in December 2009 a circus, according to a Straits Times report (Monday, January 5, 2009).

The Laotians plan to introduce capteh (shuttlecock kicking) and fin swimming, while six Olympic sports will suffer the chop. The six are hockey, fencing, gymnastics, handball, rowing and sailing.

Water polo, a traditional gold for Singapore, is up for review, together with basketball and canoeing.

Singapore apparently does not have a basketball team capable of winning a medal. The National Basketball Association did not send a team to the last SEA Games in Korat, Thailand.

According to the same report, the Malaysian minister said: “What is the use of concentrating on the SEA Games when it does not offer popular sports which are in the Olympics, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games? Even in a hundred years, fin swimming will not make it to the Olympics.”

Approved sports*
Athletics, aquatics (diving, swimming), archery, badminton, billiards and snooker, cycling, boxing, fin swimming (above), football, golf, judo, karate, muay thai, petanque, sepak takraw, shooting, shuttlecock kicking, silat, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis and soft tennis, volleyball, weightlifting, wrestling, wushu.

Olympic sports that are missing
Fencing, gymnastics, handball, hockey, rowing, sailing, triathlon.

Dropped sports
Baseball, bodybuilding, bowling, dance sport, rugby, softball, traditional boat race.

Status to be decided before the Dec 9-18 Games
Basketball, canoeing, water polo.

* List as of Nov 13, 2008, following SEA Games Federation meeting in Vientiane.