SEAG urged to reduce events

MANILA, Philippines - The proposal calling for a standard and fixed number of sports to be played in the Southeast Asian Games has met a very positive response from other SEAG member countries.

This was reported yesterday by Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia who just came back from Indonesia where he met with the Asean sports ministers.

Garcia said the Philippines is one of the countries pushing for the idea that would limit the SEA Games events mostly to sports being played in the Asian Games and Olympics.

He said while the idea was welcomed, it will still be up for deliberation.

“It will be reviewed but the SEA Games Federation will be the one to decide. Other countries are also looking at it as something that can be adopted,” said the PSC chairman.

Garcia added that it may be a little late to adopt the changes for the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar, but what’s important is that the proposal has been introduced to the members.

And while everybody awaits the decision, the Philippines might consider sending representatives only to sports that are being played in the Asian Games and Olympics to Myanmar.

This, Garcia said, will help lower the cost of participation to the SEA Games, and stop the practice of fielding and funding athletes in sports where there is practically no chance of winning.

In the SEA Games, it’s been a common practice for host countries to include indigenous sports in the calendar of events, and most of the time the hosts dominate the said events.

Some countries are left with no choice but to field entries in these indigenous sports, and satisfy the hosts, knowing that when it’s their time to host, they will do the same.

“We cannot just include every sport in the SEA Games. Some countries have already agreed that there should be some limitation on the number of sports,” Garcia said.

“It’s about time we cut down on the number of sports in the SEA Games,” said Garcia.

“We are studying the possibility of sending entries in Asian Games sports only to Myanmar. We are studying it. We have to look at this seriously.”

Doing this, however, will be as good as giving up the chances of winning additional medals for the country, whether it’s a gold, silver or bronze.

“That’s right. That’s why we need to talk to the POC about it and see how they will accept the idea. There are some pros and cons to this,” Garcia said.

In last month’s SEA Games, Indonesia, the host, won 182 of the 545 gold medals disputed in 44 sports and emerged as the overall champion, followed by Thailand (109), Vietnam (96), Malaysia (59), Singapore (42) and the Philippines (36-56-77).

 “We will lobby for the sports to be limited to 30 maximum or even lower with the Olympic sports as the priority,” he said.