The Comfort Rooms

What The Heck Is Vovinam?

The most important multi-sport event in this region, the Southeast Asian Games is fast approaching and I've been keen on watching out for updates on the biennial event.

For some reason, it's become a not-too-sportsmanlike because host nations always have the final say on what sports would be included in the tiff. If you think the Southeast Asian Games serve as a precursor for bigger events like the Asian, Commonwealth and Olympic Games, you're partly correct. The games has also served as a way for host countries to dominate the field, hence hometown decisions are not unheard of especially at the SEA Games.

This year, Indonesia (the host country) will introduce a new sport indigenous to a fellow Southeast Asian nation - the Vovinam. This martial art originated in Vietnam. And honestly, I'm not interested to know more about this sport - as of the moment.

Why? Because none else knows about this! Vietnam, if I'm not mistaken has brought in odd sports like shuttlecock and fin swimming to further boost its gold medals claim. If the Southeast Asian Games plans to be the precursor for regional athletes to prepare for bigger and more prestigious continental and worldwide games, then the organization should stop introducing sports like these. Personally, I think they're bullcrap.

If they intend to make this sport known to us Southeast Asians, why not make this a demonstration sport instead kinda like what the Olympics does? That way, you formally introduce the sport to a new audience, get familiar with it and eventually, be a part of the Games' calendar in the future.