Patafa plans SEA Games boycott over axed events

THE PHILIPPINES is supporting the decision of the Asian Athletics Association not to sanction the 2017 Southeast Asian Games if Malaysian organizers push through with its decision to scrap eight track and field events.

The sport produced the most number of gold medal for the Philippines in 2015 edition along with boxing at five each.

Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association president Philip Ella Juico yesterday said the proposal “contradicts all that the Olympics stand for: Athletics is the centerpiece of the Olympics and to remove for reasons of lack of competition and facilities are, to say the least, unusual and unwise.”

He said the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia share the same stand with the AAA whose honorary secretary general Maurice Nicholas on Thursday threatened to boycott the biennial Games slated in Kuala Lumpur and several other cities.

The nations, including Burma (Myanmar), Laos and Singapore, have reportedly threatened not to send any track and field athletes in the SEA Games, or at least in events where Malaysia is strong, according to Malay Mail.

“When you undertake to organize a SEA Games, you must do all the events,” Nicholas was quoted by channelnewsasia.com as saying. “If they insist on leaving them (events) out, we will not give them the permit [to host SEA Games athletics].”

The athletics events involved are men’s and women’s 10,000-meter, 3,000m steeplechase and marathon, decathlon and heptathlon. The country won men’s 3,000m steeplechase last year in Singapore through Christopher Ulboc.

Juico, who is also the AAA vice president, said asked the Philippine Olympic Committee to relay Patafa’s stand in the next SEA Games Federation meeting.