Ex-Sports Official Urges Formation of 2019 SEA Games Committee

A former government sports official called for the early formation of a Committee for the country’s hosting of 2019 SEAG.

Sportsman Richie Garcia, former chair of Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the government sports body, said the committee would be tasked to plan the country’s hosting of the games.

Garcia said by forming a committee, on top (of the agenda) was to scout a suitable venues for the various sports disciplines, athletes village and accommodation for officials.

The move shall give Pinoy athletes’ needed training and exposure and a fighting chance against well-financed and well-trained athletes from ASEAN neighbors.

It will also sustain the respect and good image of the country which then hosted and became overall champion in 2005 Southeast Asian Games (SEAG). The Philippines ranked seventh in the 2015 edition of the games held in Singapore.

A host nation must stage at least a minimum of 22 sports. According to SEAGF Charter and Rules, sports competed in Olympic Games and Asian Games must be given priority.

The games is under regulation of the Southeast Asian Games Federation with supervision by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

Peping Cojuangco, in support to the call of the former PSC official, said: “Sports is key to Filipinos life, we can do it simply by getting our acts together.”

For the record, the country hosted this biennial meet for the third time since it first hosted in 1991. Within that year (June 15) came the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, a year before that a killer earthquake (July 16,1990) struck Luzon. With these calamities, Filipinos showed their resiliency and determination and rose beyond them for flag and country.

In 1977, the Philippines joined the SEA Games, formerly known as Southeast Asian Peninsular Games (SEAP) which evolved into SEA Games where Kuala Lumpur first to bear the title on the ninth edition of the regional sports conclave in 1977.

There are 11 countries participating in the games – Thailand, Indonesia, Malyasia, Singapore, Vietnam,Myanmar, Laos,Cambodia, Brunei, Timor Leste and Philippines.

The Games were conceptualized by Luang Sukhum Nayapradit, then Vice-President of the Thailand Olympic Committee . In the 1958 Asian Games delegates from the countries in Southeast Asian Peninsula attending the said Games in Tokyo,Japan had a meeting and agreed to form a sport organization – SEAP.

Thailand hosted the inaugural staging of SEAP in 1959.(PNA)
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