Soukanh Taypanyavong (right) of Laos competes against Tran Anh Tuan (left) of Vietnam during the men’s 55kg vovinam final at the 2013 SEA Games in Naypyidaw, Myanmar. (PHOTO: Soe Than Win/AFP via Getty Images)
SINGAPORE — Arnis, vovinam, kenpo: Do these obscure sports add a regional flavour to the SEA Games? Or are they pointless distractions that serve only as boosts of the host nations in the medal tally table?
It is a debate that has dogged the biennial Games ever since it decided to include non-Olympic sports into its sporting programme…
