SEA Games: here we go again

This writer has been warning for months that the organizers of the Bangkok Southeast Asian Games would have tricks up their

- By BILL VELASCO

sleeves that they would reveal at the last minute. True enough, Thailand announced that naturalized players would be ineligible for the basketball competitions, at least for 5x5. This means that some of the country’s best pavers like Justin Brownlee and Ange Kouame will not be allowed to play. Frankly, the rule itself is not that bad. But the timing of implementation is an abuse of the hosts’ discretion.

We have had multiple bad experiences in SEA Games in Thailand. The two-pronged attack is always the same: messed with the sports that involve judging, and water down the opposition through tightened, last minute eligibility requirements. It is a tired, old, unfair story.