Watching the XXX Olympics 2012 got me reminiscing on my participation in the 14th Asian Games 2002 (Final Part)

I had a memorable 11 days in Busan. To be able to represent the country in the 14^th Asian Games 2002 was an incredible experience. The camaraderie and the friendships formed during the Games were just simply wonderful. The Koreans have done a great job in hosting the Games. I know, I know…..this happened more than 10 years ago. So, what? I am old guy and an old guy has all the right in this world to be nostalgic and remember the good old days. With the XXX Olympiad taking place at the moment it made me even more nostalgic! So, to the people and all the friends I met in Busan, thanks for the memories!

Watching the XXX Olympics 2012 got me reminiscing on my participation in the 14th Asian Games 2002 (Part 4)

Adam and I in our casual clothing

Visiting the Korean War Memorial

Our young Korean Tourist Guide

The King, Fong and I

We were given a day off in our 11 days in Busan. Not to miss out on that opportunity, Adam Tee and I bought a City tour at one of the booths in the Games Village. We requested for an English speaking tourist guide.

On that day of the tour, we were allowed to wear our casual clothes. During the Games, all of the athletes and officials must wear the sponsored clothing and shoes. In other words, we must wear the clothes and shoes which were given by our sponsors. We will be reprimanded and warned if we are caught not wearing the sponsored clothes and shoes during the Games. However, since it was my day off, I wore my normal clothes. Our tour was to start at 8.30am. However, we did not get to meet our tour guide cum driver until 9.30am due to miscommunication as to which gate she was supposed to wait for us. Our tour guide was a young Korean girl whom I have forgotten her name now.

Anyway, we started moving out from the Games Village at 9.30am in the tour guide’s car. It was a private tour – just Adam and me. We went to visit a few places of interest such as the look out tower and the American cemetery where the servicemen during the Korean War were interred. We had a nice lunch where we ate the famous Korean Chicken Ginseng soup and “bulgogi” (Korean barbequed meat).

We got back about 3.00pm, just in time for me to catch the “free tour” organised by the Games Village for the athletes and officials. The “free tour” was to visit Hyundai, a heavy industry company. For that particular tour, the bus was to leave at 4.00pm. Fong (from the Malaysian Secretariat and now General Manager of Olympic Council of Malaysia) and Ng Ping Loong (now Sports Marketing Manager for Milo) were there with me waiting for the bus inside the Games Village. While waiting, suddenly we saw a black Mercedes Benz with a Malaysian flag flying. I saw that it was our then King (Yang DiPertuan Agong), Sultan Azlan Shah. Because I was not in my standard uniform, I waved at the King, thinking that it would just be a passing thing. Oh boy, was I wrong! The King must have noticed and asked the driver to stop the car. The King came out smiling and waving at us. The King asked me, “Are you a Malaysian?” I replied, “Yes” and asked if I could take a photo with him. The King smiled and replied, “Of course”. After the photo was taken, the King asked for another photo to be taken, just in case. It was all fun. I really enjoyed that particular day.

Watching the XXX Olympic Games 2012 got me reminiscing on my participation in the 14th Asian Games 2002 (Part 3)

Our Team

Posing for the local newsmen

With Mr. Chok Lee Huat

Changwon Shooting Range

The venue for sports shooting during the 14^th Asian Games 2002 was in Changwon Shooting Range which is more than 2 hours drive from the Games Village. Due to the distance between the Games Village and Changwon Shooting Range, there were limited bus services plying that route. The organisers had a very strict timetable. If you don’t make it on time, then you will need to take a private car or taxi to the Range which will cost you a bomb! The buses will depart the Games Village at 7.00am and will return at the earliest about 3.00pm.

My team and I would always ensure that we would be the first on the bus as we dare not take any chances. If we missed the bus, the sports journalists would be having a field day with their reports! As the distance prevented us from having our lunch at the Games Village, the organisers had packed for us a “control diet” meal of 3,000 calories in a box. The box consisted of a sandwich, a piece of fruit (either a banana or an apple), a packet of potato chips and a box drink. I have no complaint about our simple lunch but to eat the same lunch for the next 7 days, it would tend to affect you somehow. On the third day, I decided to abandon my lunch box and ate at the cafeteria!

At the Changwon Shooting Range, I bumped into two fellow Malaysians, the late Mr. Chok Lee Huat (Classification Jury and a fellow Klangite) and Mr. Benson Low (an official in the Shotgun events during the Games). We had a nice chat and catching up with each other at the Range.

When we arrived at the Range, we had to bring the firearms for inspection and tagging. The firearms together with the ammunitions were stored in the armoury. We were told that due to the wind velocity and the shooting condition, we have to bring additional ammunitions. All in, we brought about 5,000 rounds of ammunitions. Every single one of the ammos have been accounted for and we brought back all those which were not used.

The shooting range was located in a nice hilly landscape. They had special hall to hold the finals for the 10m air pistol and 10m air rifle events. The weather in Changwon was nice and cool.

Of all the events that we participated, only Nurul Huda Bahrin (1998 Commonwealth Games, Gold Medalist) qualified for the finals. Making it into the finals was a huge achievement in view that we were competing amongst the world’s best shooters in Busan. It was a wonderful experience for me and the team.

I must also add that I was truly impressed with the honesty of the people in Busan. In one of my trips back to the Games Village, I left my cap on the bus. I didn't realise it until the next day. Once I realised that my cap was missing, I immediately went to the "Lost and Found" Centre. Adam Tee came along with me. While walking towards the Centre, Adam was saying to me it would be just a waste of time as there is absolutely no way they could find or return my cap. Adam said that someone must have already found the cap and possibly even wearing it now. To me, the cap has a sentimental value as it was issued by the National Sports Council for the purpose of the Games. Once I got into the Centre, I was asked to fill in a form with my contact number. A copy of the form was also pasted on the Bulletin Board. 

The following day, I got a call from the Centre saying that my cap had been found and it was in the Transport Centre in the Games Village. When I went there, I identified myself and a guy came up and return the cap to me. Apparently, the bus driver found the Cap and left it in the office, hoping that the owner will pick it up. The bus driver could have just taken it and claimed he couldn't find the owner but that did not happen. I must say, I am truly impressed with the bus driver's honesty.

Watching the XXX Olympic Games 2012 got me reminiscing on my participation in the 14th Asian Games 2002 (Part 2)

With young Nicol David (squash player)

With Sam Cheong (billiard player)

My shooting team mates

Last night, while watching the athletes and officials marching into the Olympic Stadium, I can’t help but reminisce the excitement, joy and thrill I felt when entering the stadium in Busan about a decade ago. To appreciate all of the emotions, allow me to share with you my experience.

The day before the “opening ceremony” of the Games, I was informed by the Malaysian Secretariat that not everyone will be in the Contingent during the march in. The reason being that only a specific number of spaces were given by the organisers and therefore, a selection would need to be made by the Secretariat. I only got to know in the evening that my name was included the list for the march in. Needless to say, I was thrilled to bits.

The opening ceremony was to be held at 7.00pm but we were told to assemble in front of our apartment complex at 3.00pm. We were all dressed in “baju melayu” (for the men) and “baju kurung” for the ladies. Besides our traditional attire, we were also issued “long johns” by the National Sports Council as it was predicted that it could get really cold in the evening at the stadium. Being Malaysians, we were not used to that sort of coolness. We were also giving small Malaysian flags (“jalur gemilang”) to wave as we marched. While we were lining up, our team mates were at the balcony shouting “Malaysia Boleh” and cheering. It was a bit sad to see them being left out but in the spirit of the Games and unity, they did not let that be a hindrance to their patriotism and fighting spirit!

When we finally boarded the bus, there was a sound of relief from our contingent. Our bus was escorted by police cars to the stadium. While in our bus, we could see the citizens of Korea both old and young on the street waving at us and cheering. It was such a lovely experience for me. You could really feel the joy and positiveness in the air. One of the best things about hosting an International Games is that you bring a sense of unity, pride, patriotism and happiness to your people. For a while, everyone tends to put their problems away and just enjoy the Games!

When we arrived at the stadium, we were not allowed to enter but rather we were asked to wait at an adjacent field until being given a signal to enter. While waiting, we were moving about and chatting with athletes from other countries. One of the common interest was exchanging of pins. Before we left for the Games, we were given 20 pins each to exchange with the athletes of other countries. A tip for those who will be participating in future Games, do it quickly (I mean exchange the pins) when you arrive at the Games Village. If you wait for a few days, the chances of getting someone to exchange with you will be very slim.

When it was time for us to enter the stadium, all of us adjusted our “baju melayu” and “songkok”. People were cheering us along that long road leading to the tunnel in the stadium. I quickly make a call to my wife, Jennifer in Kuala Lumpur to ask her to get ready as the Malaysian Contingent would be marching into the stadium real soon. I had a handycam with me and recorded the whole scene, it was truly awesome.

After marching in, we were in the middle of the stadium, cheering and taking photographs of the other participants. One of the big surprises that day was when the athletes from both North Korea and South Korea marched in together hand-in-hand for the very first time. They got the loudest cheer not because South Korea was hosting the Games but because of the friendship gesture shown by both countries. Both contingents marched in to the tune of “Ari-rang”.

The highlight of the moment was when the Games torch bearer came into the stadium to light the flame representing the start of the Games. It was an incredible sight. After that the organisers asked us to move to a reserved section of the stadium to watch the rest of the events. After the Games, there were some exchanges of attires with other countries. I must say that our “songkok” was quite a hit with the locals and foreign participants. Everyone wanted to get hold of our “songkok”. Some of our members gave away theirs’ while I held on tightly to mine.

After the “opening ceremony”, there was a minor chaos as everyone was in a confused mode as to which bus to take. All of a sudden, our bus had gone missing and we were left stranded. When we climbed to a random bus, we were told by the passengers that the bus was carrying participants from a particular country. So, for a while there, we were like nomads wandering from bus to bus until one of the Korean Officials saw us and directed us to climb up to any of the buses because all of them have the same destination - the Games Village. There was a slight argument and misunderstanding when some passengers from a particular country refused to allow us entry as they said the bus was reserved for athletes from their country only. Luckily the Korean Official was nearby and he came up and told off the passengers and asked to go up and take any empty seats. Bravo to the Korean Official! When we got into the Games Village, it was almost midnight but like I wrote earlier the food hall was opened 24 hours so there weren’t any worries about being hungry.

My next post would be on about our shooting competition at the 14th Asian Games 2002. Stay tuned!

Watching the XXX Olympics 2012 got me reminiscing on my participation in the 14th Asian Games 2002 (Part 1)

Our Team Manager briefing our shooters in the apartment

The Asian Games participants having their meals in the food hall

Queuing for our food

The volunteers in the Games Village

 

The Malaysian National Shooting Team 2002

With the volunteer from the USA (Korean American)

Last night, when watching the opening ceremony of the XXX Olympiad (better known as the London 2012 Olympics) I can’t help but to reminisce the days when I was a member of the Malaysian Contingent in the 14th Asian Games held in Busan 2002. I was a member of the National Shooting Team in the Asian Games 2002. The Asian Games is considered as the second biggest games after the Olympics.

Being in the Games was being like a celebrity visiting a foreign country. I remembered vividly when stepping out of the aircraft (incidentally it was Korean Airlines, the official airline) there were Games Officials in their uniforms who were waiting for us just outside of the aircraft’s door. In our particular group, we had less than 20 people (Malaysian athletes and officials). The Malaysian contingent came in batches as some of the sports would only begin a few days after the opening ceremony. As soon as we entered the terminal, the Korean Security Forces who were all armed with machine guns and dressed in black (their appearances and facial expressions could be quite intimidating) formed a circle around us escorted us to the Immigration and Customs. Many people were looking at us, smiling, waving and a few took photographs of us. We didn’t have much time at Incheon International Airport as we needed to proceed to another airport about an hour away to catch our flight to Busan.

As soon as we got out of the terminal, there was already a bus waiting for us. Our bus was escorted by police cars to the domestic airport. When we arrived at the domestic airport, I wanted to grab some World Cup 2002 souvenirs (Korea and Japan were the hosts of the World Cup football which ended a few months before we arrived) which were sold at bargain prices at the domestic airport. However I was advised by the Korean Games Officials to keep on moving. Later, I learned that the Koreans were very strict with timing and due to security reason, they could not allowed us to move as individuals. As host country, they were responsible for our safety. Adam Tee who was the Team Manager of the Shooting Team told me not to despair as we can get the souvenirs when we stop by again  on our way to Malaysia.

Our then trap shooter, Richard Cheong who came in a different flight a few days later told me that his group got special “VIP Treatment”. Why? The reason was because Richard (the lucky fella) got to travel with the badminton team and the Head Coach of the Doubles Team was none other than Park Joo Bong who is a celebrity in Korea. Clearing the Immigration and Customs with Park Joo Bong was a breeze! Richard said all Park did was to say a few words in Korean and everything got moving really quickly

When we arrived at Busan Airport, the Malaysian and Korean Games Officials were there to greet us. Zolkples Embong (now known as Dato’ Seri Zolkples Embong and is currently the Director General of the National Sports Council) enquired about our flight to Korea and  assisted me with my bags. Zol (as he was affectionately known) was a very helpful person. We were then brought to the Games Village which had very tight security. We were brought to a transition area where we were processed and given accreditation cards. I was told to guard the accreditation card with my life as that was the only passport recognised by the Games Officials. Without the accreditation card, I will not be able to gain entry into the Games Village and this was a strong rule which would be enforced at all times.

When we entered the Games Village for the first time, I saw the Malaysian flag flying amongst the flags of the other countries which participated in the Games. It was easy to spot where the Malaysian contingent was staying. There were huge Malaysian flags hanging on the walls of the apartment complex where we were going to stay. The Games Village was rather huge and it had a 24 hours cafeteria that was managed by a group of volunteers. In fact the entire Games Village was run and managed by volunteers. In my apartment complex, the supervisor was a young Korean who spoke fluent American English. I asked him where he learned to speak his English. He informed that he is an American Korean and left Seoul when he was just two years old. He came back just for the Games and out of patriotism for his country of birth. He volunteered for the Games as they needed people who can converse in English.

The apartment was small but cosy. The National shooting team had our meetings in our apartment. My room mates in the apartment were Adam Tee (Team Manager) and Richard Cheong (our trap shooter). The floors in the apartment were heated so you won’t feel cold when you step on the floor. Mind you, it was supposed to be summer but the weather was still rather cool. If requested, you can have the apartment cleaned (limited to once a week). I actually met the group of volunteers who cleaned the apartments. They were elderly women volunteers who in spite of their limited English skills conversed well with their friendliness and smiles.

Immediately after we checked in, I went to rent a mobile phone. Those were the days, we didn’t have 3G and because Korea had a different mobile phone system, we were not able to use our Malaysian GSM mobile phones. After I got the mobile phone, I went to the Games Village where ample food was served. In order to ensure that all kinds of food were available, the host country had different types of curry, some Middle Eastern food and some Japanese food every single day of the Games. It was nice to see athletes from all over the continent of Asia having a meal together. At the food hall, I met Jahendran (from the Olympic Council of Malaysia who was a member of the Malaysian Secretariat) and Paul Lissek (our then National Hockey Coach) and Stephen Van Huizen (our then assistant National Hockey Coach). It was also my first time bumping into Yao Ming (later to become the NBA star for Houston Rockets). Being 7’  6”, he literally stood out in the crowd. Yao Ming was not famous then but he definitely caught a lot of attention with his height.

After lunch, I decided to go to the computer lab. Remember, those were the days where notebook and “Wi Fi” was almost unheard of. When I reached the computer lab, it was a bit of disappointment as there were only 15 terminals available and all of them were occupied. Luckily among the crowd was a fellow Malaysian in the form of Nicol David (who later became our Squash Queen and World No. 1 with a “Datukship” to boot). Because I was wearing our Malaysian tracksuit, she recognised me and indicated to me that she was done with her terminal and allowed me to take over. Thank you, Nicol.

In order to go in and out of the Games Village, we have to go through two different security checkpoint. All of our bags were screened. Someone remarked, it was like a prisoner camp except that in this camp we were treated like VIPs!