Enthralling, entertaining, amazing and astounding are clichés that are often appended to modest compositions, performances, presentations or events.
How does one describe an event which is beyond one’s imagination?
I was privileged to be invited as a sportswriter from India to the Sports Flame event in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 9, involving about 180 sporting icons.
These sportspersons, mainly from Malaysia and a few from Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines, had shone memorably in the international arena in the 1960s, 70s and early 80s.
Besides getting together for a celebration, the occasion was also for them to bid farewell to Malaysia’s Yang di-Pertuan Agong and Raja Permaisuri Agong.
Usually, events featuring the royalty tend to have a very formal atmosphere, but for one unaccustomed to such an informal gathering featuring a monarch, this one left me speechless.
Many were pleasantly surprised in the manner the King and Queen returned the affection with a common touch.
Having personally observed petty egos of sports officials across several nations for decades, their down-to-earth engagement with the guests left me stunned.
It was a prim and proper event to begin with until the royal couple decided to go from one table to another to interact with the former athletes, coaches, officials and sportswriters.
They took time to meet everyone in person and posed for photographs with them.
And then the King made a most unusual speech, thanking some journalists for their criticism that guided him toward the right course in his days as a sports official.
Besides naming several of his critics, who were in the audience, he thanked the sports icons for the wonderful memories of their stirring performances.
Sportswriters in several countries stage events commemorating their stars from yesteryears, but none seems to compare with the Sports Flame event.
To my knowledge, there is no other celebration of sporting icons and officials from yesteryears, across multiple sports, conducted on this scale anywhere else.
What stood apart was the modesty with which the King complimented sportswriters for their valued comments and observations.
He said: “Those critics really made me a man. You (journalists) moulded my character and I have to admit in all those years in football and hockey, I became stronger and loving as well.”
These words of the King underscored why he was hailed by the gathering as their favourite royal.
On the request of the guests, the royal couple got on the stage to sing some of their favourite songs, including a duet of the 1998 popular Bollywood hit “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”. They were awesome.
A big thank you to former Malaysian sportswriters, George Das, R Velu, Fauzi Omar and Lazarus Rokk, for making the seventh edition of Sports Flame a delightful peek into the second innings of the grand, old sporting heroes.
Sandeep Nakai is an Indian sports journalist with 38 years experience in international cricket and hockey coverage.
The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.
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