POC sets meeting for SEA Games Federation

The Philippine Olympic Committee has tentatively set a very important meeting for the Southeast Asian Games Federation in Manila on May 16 and 17.

POC secretary general Patrick Gregorio said top officials of the 11-member countries of the SEA Games would attend the gathering to tackle the number of sports and events that would see action in the biennial meet next year.

The Philippines is hosting the Games for the fourth time from Nov. 30 to Dec. 9, 2019 with sports officials aiming to reclaim the overall title the country won in the 2005 sportsfest held in Manila.

This time, the SEAG Organizing Committee headed by its chair, Foreign Affairs Sec. Alan Peter Cayetano, is planning to put the hub of the Games in Clark Field, Pampanga, with Subic and Manila as satellite venues.

POC chair Abraham Tolentino recently met with the national sports association leaders of 55 sports and tackled their gold-medal projections as well as the technical requirements and venues where they will hold their respective disciplines.

The host country usually gains the upper hand in identifying the sports to be played in the calendar of events.

It will be an advantage that the Philippines will most likely pounce on to recover from a dismal sixth-place finish in Kuala Lumpur last year.