Conclusions from the SEA Games

I’m finally home after 19 long days at the SEA Games in the Philippines. It felt like a long trip as there were very few social functions, other than a welcome dinner at the start of the event.

Reflecting on what we achieved there, here are my conclusions:

The 30th SEA Games Polo was a very successful tournament, despite many logistical and ‘polotical’ challenges.
To have had two handicap divisions of polo has opened the door for more polo events at future SEA Games.
With Philippines hosting polo at the SEA Games, Philippines joined the Federation of Internatinonal Polo as a member in Zone D. Philippines has some higher handicapped players and it is possible that Philippines may enter in future Zone D World Championship playoffs.
This was the first tournament run to international standards that Philippines has ever held, with regards to formats, draws, stewarding and umpiring. This could not have happened without the FIP officials involvement.
FIP accredited a team of eight officials to these games. They were

1. John D Fischer AUS FIP Tournament Director
2. Peter Abisheganaden SIN FIP Asst Tournament Director & Chief Steward
3. Daniel Boudou ARG FIP Umpire
4. Steven Evans RSA FIP Umpire
5. Ben Turner ENG FIP Umpire
6. Neville Stewart AUS FIP Steward
7. Shah Qubilai Alam PAK FIP Steward & Umpire
8. Samuel Hamersley AUS FIP Steward

The horses loaned to Malaysia by Inigo Zobel, and to Indonesia by Mikee Romero were of a very good standard. Both Malaysia and Indonesia managed to beat the home team on their own horses.
Dato’ Mohamed Moiz, President of the Royal Malaysian Polo Association, has again proposed a South East Asian association of national federations. One of the aims is to play a South East Asian Championship in the years between SEA Games, and in years when polo is not included in the SEA Games.
This is relevant as Cambodia and Vietnam are the SEA Games hosts in 2021 and 2023 respectively. Currently, no polo is played in those countries. Thailand is scheduled to host the SEA Games in 2025. Polo is expected to return to these games only then.
The start of the B Division was delayed as Typhoon Tisoy hit the Philippines. 150 mm of rain was recorded at the polo ground. Play was delayed by two days to let the ground recover. The schedule was changed and one day was added to the programme. This may have impacted the final.
Malaysia fielded a very young team with an average age of just 19.25 years. They won every match till the final.
HRH Prince Jefri played for Brunei in every match till the final, as he was injured in a collision the day before, in the match between Philippines and Brunei.
Brunei’s success in the B Division augurs well for a resurgence of polo in that country.
As the Philippines SEA Games Organising Committee (PHISGOC) decreed that there would be bronze medals given equally to the two teams that did not qualify for the final, there was no bronze medal match. This is the first time this has been done in polo. Not everyone was in favour of this decision taken by PHISGOC, at the request of Cong. Mikee Romero.
It did, however, mean that everyone went home with something.

It will be a few years before polo is played at another South East Asian Games. I’m happy to have been part of this one in the Philippines.

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Peter