Sports

From LaDorria and Jacky
1. What is the most popular sport there?
2. Has either country been in the Olympics?

ANSWER: The most popular sport I think in all of Asia has to be soccer! But they call it football (can be very confusing if you're talking about American football and they're talking about soccer). Soccer IS the most popular sport in Indonesia and everyone plays it from little children to middle aged men. Sporting events are organized in Indonesia by the Indonesian National Sport Committee and with cooperation from the government have designated September 9 as National Sports Day. For soccer, there are 2 leagues, The Domestic League which plays other teams in Indonesia and the Football Association of Indonesia is the national team. Other sports that are popular here are Austraian Rules football, which is like soccer and football combined. There are posts and players must try to get the ball between the posts using any part of their body, they can kick it, or run with it but they can not throw the ball with an open hand their fist must be closed, instead they have to bounce or touch it to the ground often and not be caught holding it. It's a full contact sport so there's tackling but if someone is excessive in their attempts to keep the other team from scoring, then the other team is given free kicks. Badminton and rugby are also other popular sports. There is a school I pass when I leave home and often I see boys playing soccer and the girls playing badminton.

Indonesia and Malaysia both participate in the Olympics, but only the Summer Olympics, they have never participated in the Winter Olympics which is not surprising since most people have never seen snow before. Indonesian athletes have won 25 medals mostly in badminton and women's weight lifting. In the last Summer Olympics in Beijing China in 2008, Indonesia won 5 medals taking a gold in Men's doubles badminton (see photo) as well as a silver medal in mixed doubles badminton. Indonesia has won a gold medal in badminton every Olympic games since badminton was introduced in 1992. Malaysia has won a total of 4 medals all in badminton. The last medal was won in Beijing in the Mens singles badminton.