Brunei 1999 SEA Games - Opening Ceremony (Snippet) (08.07.1999)

Описание: Copyright (c) 1999 20th SEA Games Organizing Committee

Video courtesy of: Facts(.)bn Instagram page - www.instagram.com/facts.bn

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Came 15 years after proclaiming independence from British colonization, Brunei Darussalam - a tiny Islamic country of just 320,000 people which is situated on the island of Borneo - had a chance to host thousands of athletes and visitors across the region for the very first time, as it celebrates the 20th installment of the Southeast Asian Games.

Staging these Games from 7 to 15 August 1999, Brunei thus became the first country (since Myanmar in 1969) to have this honor of holding the event outside of the region’s five major powers: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand - the nations that made up a group known as the ASEAN-5, which are comprised of ASEAN's founding member states. While this was the last SEA Games to take place in the outgoing millennium, the Brunei 1999 Games were touted as the gateway to a new era, coinciding with the nation’s ambitions for growth and development.

Their efforts to stage the SEA Games began way back in 1983 - in accordance with the renewed alphabetical rotation of hosting duties, but they had to understandably back out in order to not conflict with Brunei's scheduled celebrations for its forthcoming independence from Britain; Singapore then stepped up to replace Brunei as hosts. Also, the tiny country was initially due to host the previous SEA Games in 1997, only to be declared unable to fulfill their hosting duties, possibly due to economic reasons as the nation suffered a severe recession amidst the Asian financial crisis.

At first, Thailand and Malaysia were offered to stage the 1999 Games should Brunei be deemed incapable to host, but Thailand is - at the time - facing many problems, with Bangkok's Asian Games in 1998 being marred with political intervention as well as the then-ongoing economic slump, while Malaysia was still busy in preparing for that same year's Commonwealth Games to be hosted in Kuala Lumpur (the country, nonetheless, would go on to be picked to host the next SEA Games in 2001).

Brunei's hosting gig in 1999 did go on, and the Games featured about 2,365 athletes from 10 nations across the region, competing in 233 medal events across 21 sports, which somehow included polo, which has been for decades a popular sport in the country, particularly within the Bruneian royal family. While hosts Brunei did harvest four gold medals to place seventh in the standings, Thailand topped these Games with a 169-medal haul that included 65 golds. Malaysia picked up 57 golds to secure second place, as Indonesia finishes the event at third with 45 golds - although they are second in the overall tally after collecting 147 medals.

The Philippines, however, had their worst overall showing in a SEA Games ever since joining the event in 1977, and even though they settled for fifth place in the medal tally, they've won only 19 golds and 87 total medals at Brunei - a huge downgrade from their 43-gold haul at Jakarta two years prior; they left Brunei with a single gold medal in athletics, but without a swimming gold for the first time in the SEA Games.

Prior to the Games, Brunei has been through financial and social woes; the year 1999 was considered a 'nadir' - a low point for the Southeast Asian economy due to the ‘Tom Yum Kung’ crisis, which impacted Brunei, and this led to a plummet in the nation’s oil and gas prices. Additionally, Brunei’s economic decline also affected the population’s welfare with the decrease in the minimum wage for soldiers and government officials, resulting in an increase in theft and drug-related crimes among the Bruneian youth.

But in spite of dealing with economic turmoil, Brunei had bigger ambitions in becoming a trade and tourist hub, demonstrating to the world that they were not just a tiny oil state but were ready for more extensive and greater things. The 1999 SEA Games was a significant key factor to show Brunei’s prowess, and an opportunity to unite Bruneians in supporting their country in pride and patriotism, which was much needed at the time.

These Games, in the end, held utmost importance to the Bruneian people, and with all the praise following their successful hosting of the event, their confidence was bolstered for the upcoming years. To this day, Brunei hasn't hosted the SEA Games again; so far, the most recent occasion that the country had tried to bring the Games back was for the 2019 edition, but they backed out from their hosting obligations in June 2015 due to logistical and financial reasons. This is not a surprise, as the country’s current focus goes beyond sports, but Brunei's success from 1999 has shown how the nation can use a sporting event to elevate themselves from any hardships they face, economically and socially.