A BALANCED list of 38 sports featuring 405 events will be played in the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur next year.
Philippine Olympic Committee first vice president Joey Romasanta said the roster of events was finalized in the recent SEA Games Federation meeting in KL where four sports—triathlon, judo, muay and fencing—were added from the previous lineup.
Triathletes Nikko Huelgas and Claire Adorna snatched gold medals during the 2015 Singapore Games while Filipino muay fighters never fail to medal in past editions of the
11-nation meet.
It was also announced that athletics will have a full rack of 46 events, including 3000-meter steeplechase, decathlon, men’s and women’s marathon and heptathlon, which were initially excluded.
The Malaysians are seriously bidding to reclaim the SEA Games crown they won when KL last hosted the biennial Games in 2001.
Romasanta attended the three-day gathering among top sports officials of the region together with POC president Jose Cojuangco Jr., chair Tom Carrasco, secretary general Steve Hontiveros and treasurer Julian Camacho.
Several sports that have been consistently delivering for the Philippines are also in the list such as boxing, taekwondo, basketball, cycling, wushu, rugby sevens, tennis, weightlifting and ice skating.
Romasanta said the POC presented the government guarantee signed by Philippine Sports Commission chair William Ramirez to the federation meeting, signifying the country’s readiness to host the Games in 2019.