Morrison cries foul over ‘worst’ officiating

BANGKOK, Thailand — William Morrison III has voiced strong concerns regarding the quality and consistency of officiating during the athletics’ competitions at the 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games held at the Suphachalasai National Stadium, saying the games are the “worst he’s ever been to.”

Morrison expressed disappointment over what he described as questionable decisions that, in his view, affected the fairness and flow of competition.

"Man, lots of issues, man. They're saying that my shot put didn't weigh in. This is the only place my shot put hasn't weighed in. I've used that shot put at the Asian Games, Asian Championship, in the States, in Canada, Japan, everywhere I've used it. It's never been lightweight. And all of a sudden here, it's lightweight," Morrison said.

Morrison highlighted instances where delays disrupted events, noting that such issues can have a direct impact on athletes’ focus and results.

"And then I'm throwing, and they're going to stop me in the middle of my throw? Like, why would they do that? Like, why would you stop me in the middle of my throw? Just to fix my bib," Morrison added.

"That's not important. Would you stop one of the sprinters from running when they're about to get in their blocks? And then the shot put that they provided were dog sh*t. They were not balanced." 

"If you spin it on the ground, you can see the central... I don't know. What do you call it? There's no balance in it. It won't even stay still when you balance it. And they're brand new. Like, who's going to throw with a brand new shot put? Just the fact that they're talking to me between every single throw and stopping me in the middle of my throw is dog sh_t. Like, this is the worst SEA Games I've ever been to."

Despite the challenges and delays, Morrison managed to bag the bronze medal with a throw of 16.66, losing his SEA Games record to Malaysian Jonah Chang Rigan, who took home the gold.

Morrison's record is 18.14-meters, which he established in the 2021 edition in Vietnam before Rigan threw a 18.78 to set a new record.