Vietnam SEA Games ‘certainly a go’; PH looks to send 627 athletes
Vietnam receives the SEA Games federation flag during turnover ceremonies of then 2019 Southeast Asian Games. —MARIANNE BERMUDEZ
MANILA, Philippines–The 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam will go as planned despite the recent uptick in COVID-19 cases.
The much-delayed biennial meet will be held from May 12 to 25.
“It’s certainly a go for the SEA Games in Hanoi in May,” said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who attended Tuesday’s first chef de mission meeting, during the PSA Forum.
Tolentino said that pre-Games formalities and timelines were presented while soft copies of the Games manual were distributed to the members during the meeting.
The Hanoi SEA Games organizers set a February 12 distribution date with the deadline for the submission of accreditation forms scheduled on March 12, as per Tolentino.
The submission of entries by names was also set on March 12 while another chefs de mission meeting, which will likely be face-to-face, is on tap on March 18.
The POC submitted a 627-athlete entry by numbers for the SEA Games.
The Philippines will participate in 39 out of the 40 sports in the upcoming Games. The only event a Filipino won’t be featured in is xiangqi or Chinese chess.
Tolentino added that the medical and doping control handbooks are due one month before the May 12 opening ceremony while the Accreditation Center in Hanoi opens on April 25.
The Philippines, the 2019 host, aims to replicate its success in the previous edition of the Games where it reclaimed the overcall championship.
