Underdogs in focus for sportsmanship (Incheon Diary)

The age-old 'winner takes all' mentality may be applicable in sports everywhere, but certainly not in the 17th Asian Games at Incheon.

Despite humiliating defeats, unfancied teams have received generous applause for their enthusiasm and sportsmanship here. The Maldivian female football team have failed to score a single goal while conceding 38 in their three consecutive losses in the group stage.

But the team, comprising mostly amateur players, was praised for trying its best and keeping their chin up.

"We are glad to experience Asia's top-class football in this competition. I believe the athletes must have gained confidence here," Haleem Ibrahim, coach, was quoted as saying by The Korea Times.

And they were not the only players from their contingent to be applauded. Swimmers, who finished last in all four events they participated in, were also praised for their sportsmanship. The Maldivan coach and athletes also expressed gratitude for the hospitality provided to them.

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Cultural differences affect medal tallies

The old controversial question of what is the fairest way to rank countries in international sporting events has raised its ugly head at Incheon also. And cultural disparity seems to be a key factor in deciding where people stand on the issue.

Most Asian countries - including China, Japan, Singapore and hosts South Korea - put more emphasis on the number of golds when listing countries in their medal standings. "The medal standings should be based on the number of gold medals a country has won," Yasuhiro Nakamori, a spokesman for the Japanese delegation, said to The Korea Times.

But most Western countries have a different approach to the issue. For example, media in the US and Russia rank countries by the total number of medals they have bagged.

The Olympic Charter states that ranking tables are not officially supposed to exist because it defeats the purpose of the Games.

"The current system that ranks countries by gold medals places too great a value on the gold compared to the silver or bronze," said Kim Hyun-duck, a professor of sports marketing at Keimyung University, to The Korea Times.

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Unusual figures add flavour to Asiad

Though people's attention is primarily on players, several distinctive competitors have stood out for other reasons.

Kim Da-jeong is one such figure. He is a 13-year-old entrant in the optimist dinghy sailing event, the youngest among 831 South Korean athletes, the oldest being equestrian Jeon Jae-sik, 47.

Some other athletes are also in the spotlight due to their distinctive backgrounds. Princess Sirivannavari Nariratana is the granddaughter of Thailand's king Bhumibol Adulyadej. In 2006 Doha Games, the 27-year-old participated as a badminton player. At Incheon, she competed in equestrian events.

Japanese-born comedian Kuniaki Takizaki is an entrant in a marathon event after falling in love with the sport while appearing on a television show together with prominent marathoners in 2005.