Southeast Asian Games organisers insist the event will be a roaring success, but a raft of problems including corruption and unfinished venues threatens to turn it into a laughing stock.
Drawing 11 nations in sports from athletics and swimming to sepak takraw — a cross between football and volleyball — the biennial Games will be held in the Indonesian capital Jakarta and Palembang in South Sumatra from Friday. The omens for the 26th SEA Games have been bad since the ruling party’s treasurer allegedly pocketed $3 million in bribes from a firm seeking tenders to build the athletes village, and then fled to Colombia with the spoils.
