SEAG, Asian Indoors dates pose problems to region’s top bets

There’s no need to reschedule next year’s 23rd SEA Games in the Philippines just because of the first Asian Indoor Championships in Thailand. Or vice versa.

The two events being set in November might pose a problem for countries wanting to field their best athletes and excel in both. The Philippines is one of them.

Steve Hontiveros, vice president of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), however, said there’s no need to make changes because, in the first place, the SEA Games countries have agreed to the schedule.

"They knew before hand that these two events are to be held closely with each other. It’s just a matter of knowing your priorities," explained POC spokesperson Gus Villanueva.

"It’s up to you if you want to field your best athletes in the Asian Indoor or keep them for the SEA Games. If you know what’s more important for your country, then there should be no problem," he added.

The Philippines wants to win the overall title in the next SEA Games where 34 sports will be played. There are only nine sports in the Asian Indoors, which is not as important as the SEA Games or Asian Games.

Offering a total of 123 gold medals in the Asian Indoor are aerobics, dance sport, extreme games, futsal (indoor soccer), sepak takraw, Muay Thai, cycling, swimming and athletics.

"Do you think Thailand, Indonesia or Malaysia will send their best runners to the Asian Indoor? Or will they save them for the SEA Games? I think the Philippines will have to do the same," Villanueva added.

The SEA Games is set Nov. 22 to 30 or just a couple of days apart from the Asian Indoor, organized by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA), on Nov. 13 to 19.

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chair Eric Buhain had earlier wanted the 11 member countries of the SEA Games to clarify the issue with the OCA, which has a membership of 44 countries.

The PSC, the government’s funding arm in sports, is in charge of the training of the Filipino athletes for the next SEA Games, and said it might encounter some problems with the two events being held on the same month.