Controversy again as SEA Games medalists forced to salute LED screens instead of real flags

The controversy started with the absence of physical national flags during podium ceremonies. Instead of watching their nations' colors rise up a flagpole, winners have been forced to stand and face a static, and sometimes malfunctioning, LED screen.

The technical issue came during the taekwondo event on Dec. 10. In the mixed doubles standard poomsae event, Singaporean duo Diyanah Aqidah and Nicholas Khaw claimed their country's first gold medal of the Games, defeating Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Kim Ha and Nguyen Trong Phuc.

During the anthem, the gold medalists stood facing a screen displaying the Singaporean flag. However, no flags were displayed for the silver medalists of Vietnam or the bronze medalists of Thailand and the Philippines, breaking the long-standing tradition of honoring all podium finishers.

Similar scenes appeared in athletics, the queen of sports. At one point during a ceremony involving Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam on Dec. 11, the screen suddenly went dark.

Organizers have defended the use of digital flags as part of their effort to host a "green, smart and economical" Games and minimize the use of traditional material, as China did at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou in 2022. However, China only applied this approach to some events, not all.

Critics noted that the Hangzhou Asian Games used advanced projection to create a realistic effect, while the displays in the Thailand SEA Games were glitchy and inconsistent.

According to Thaiger, a major LED screen supplier canceled their contract on Dec. 4, just a few days before the Games began, citing unpaid deposits and unclear verbal agreements, highlighting another logistical problem of the organizers.

The digital approach has ignited debates on Thai sports forums. While some fans argued that changes are inevitable, the majority of reactions have been negative.

"Many people will feel proud because it's high technology, but what the athletes want to see are real flags," a user wrote. "It should be a real national flag after the victory."

Another user went sarcastic on the cost-cutting measures: "You invite athletes from other countries to compete and then have them salute with paper flags."

This is not the first time flag protocol has caused controversy at the SEA Games. At the 2019 Games in the Philippines, organizers had to apologize after failing to raise flags for several medalists, including Vietnamese weightlifter Vuong Thi Huyen.

However, the next Games returned to tradition. Both the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam and the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia utilized physical flags without incident.