The Indonesian Contingent Disappointed With The Service Of The SEA Games Committee Because Of The Difficulty In Finding Halal Food In Vietnam

A number of athletes and officials from the Indonesian contingent enter the opening area during the defile during the 2021 SEA Games opening ceremony at My Dinh National Stadium, Hanoi, Vietnam / Photo: Antara

JAKARTA - A number of officials from several sports said they had difficulty finding halal food in Vietnam when competing in the 31st SEA Games. The manager of the Indonesian kickboxing team, Neneng Nurosi Nurasjati, admitted that he had to be extra selective in choosing not to eat food. non-food stuff. This is because the hotel where he lives does not differentiate between halal and non-halal food. "Just two days ago there was space for Muslims, but even then there was only a small amount, and it seemed like there was no choice," said Rossi, quoted by Antara, Saturday, May 14. According to him, this is different from the conditions during the 2019 Philippine SEA Games, where the hotel has differentiated areas of food that can be eaten by Muslims and non-Muslims. As a result, Rossi said he and a Muslim team (three athletes and one coach) chose foods that were definitely halal, such as salads and fruit. , also boiled eggs as a source of protein. "I'm also selective for fried ones, I'm still asking if you use pork oil or not," said Rossi. "But I happened to also bring food from Indonesia, bring shredded, that's all," he said.

Even so, the limitation of halal food, according to him, did not interfere with the performance of the national kickboxing team, which had just finished a sports competition with two gold, one silver and one bronze. also can't eat a lot because the condition every day has to weigh yourself," said Rossi. "There is still enough food that is halal, but again you have to be selective," he added. The futsal national team also felt the same condition. The representative from the Indonesian Futsal Federation, Iin Nurindra, said he had asked the organizers to provide halal food. At the hotel he lives in, in Ha Nam province, about an hour from downtown Hanoi, Iin said all the food was combined on one buffet table. , the next day they are separated, there are still separate tables one day even though the menu is a minority, for example only fried noodles, rice and fried chicken," said Iin. mainly chicken, not pork." Iin also said that this condition did not affect the athletes, "because we still have matches that we have to think about," he concluded.