Spirit in Bangkok

The slogan ringing through Bangkok's National Stadium last week proclaimed "The Spirit of Brotherhood" as 2,300 athletes from 18 nations met for the fifth Asian Games. Spirit there was. But brotherhood? Oh, brother.

Japan was leading Iran in soccer, 2-1, with a minute to play when the Iranian goalie blocked a shot. In the process, he somehow kicked a Japanese forward. Japan was awarded a penalty boot, and the Iranian captain was banished from the field for protesting the penalty. At game's end, the president of the Iran Football Federation approached the Thai referee to continue the argument, and the referee smacked him in the snoot. At that point, as they say in the Pentagon, the battle escalated. Players and spectators leaped into the fray, and helmeted riot police waded in with clubs. The Iranians lost the fight as well as the game.

Two days later, 60,000 fans -- most of them holding tickets -- showed up for a soccer game between Thailand and Nationalist China. The stadium, unfortunately, had only 30,000 seats. In the ensuing stampede, dozens were injured, and a Royal Thai Air Force sergeant was trampled to death.

Then there was the Thailand-South Korea basketball game. Thailand was leading 67-57 when the players started trading punches on the floor. One Thai picked up a long bamboo pole and swung it at a Korean. Spectators poured out of the stands. Lee Byong Hae, a member of the South Korean Parliament, was beaten by police when he tried to break up the brawl. Four Korean players were carted off to a doctor with broken teeth, cuts, bruises, and other assorted injuries. Adding insult to injury, the referee announced that because the Koreans were unable to continue play, the game was forfeited to Thailand. As a final fillip, somebody threw a dagger at one of the Korean players on his way out of the gym.

While everybody else was watching the side show, the Japanese were tending to business. Masashi Ouchi set a world record in weight lifting, hoisting a total of 1,003 lbs. to win the middleweight championship. Japan swept all 28 gold medals in swimming, dominated the track and field events, won first places in everything from badminton to bicycling. When the games finally ended, with a five-gun salute and the singing of Auld Lang Syne, the cool-headed Japanese had captured 218 gold, silver and bronze medals--167 more than their closest competitors.

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