Butch Ramirez visits SEA Games sites: ‘We’ll be ready to host in time for Games’

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MANILA, Philippines–Team Philippines chef de mission Butch Ramirez paid a visit to the various sporting venues of the 30th Southeast Asian Games in Subic and New Clark City on Tuesday and was pleased to see the progress.

The Philippine Sports Commission Chairman first checked out the facilities at the former US Naval base where triathlon, duathlon, open water swim and modern pentathlon are scheduled to be raced at the Subic Boardwalk.

Ramirez, who was accompanied by his deputy CDMs Stephen Fernandez, Mon Fernandez, Charles Maxey and Arnold Agustin, also made an inspection of the Subic covered court gym (sepak takraw) and the Subic tennis courts, host of the beach handball and beach volleyball competitions.

“I think we’ll be ready to host in time for the Games. We are thankful to the President (Duterte) for supporting Philippine sports,’’ said Ramirez.

An ocular of the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center (SBECC) was likewise made where muay, pencak silat and table tennis will be played.

The group, which included several members of the media, toured New Clark City after lunch and saw that the facilities are already 90 percent complete based on the assessment of engineer Jerico Bondoc of the Bases Conversion and Development Authority.

Sports facilities at the NCC includes the 20,000-seater Athletics Stadium and Aquatic Center, both of which were officially certified by IAAF and Fina as Class 1 sports venues.

Ramirez said he would immediately update the President, through Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea and Senate committee on sports chairman Senator Bong Go on the developments of these competitions venues in Subic and Clark.

Aside from these cluster venues, the Philippines will host half of the 57 sports on the calendar in Manila, Tagaytay City and La Union from Nov. 30-Dec. 11.

The Athletes Village at NCC has 525 rooms with 2,100 beds for the athletes when it opens on Nov. 20. Other sports in North Luzon are sailing, windsurfing, canoe-kayak and dragonboat, arnis, sambo, wrestling, dancesport, athletics, aquatics and chess.