THE 31st Southeast Asian Games that Vietnam was supposed to host this December faces huge problems because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The SEA Games Federation, according to Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, gave Vietnam a deadline next month to decide whether to hold the Games in 2022 or cancel them outright.
“The consensus was for Vietnam to make a decision, otherwise, the 31st SEA Games would be canceled,” Tolentino said, adding that a May 2022 schedule was decided during an online federation meeting last week as the most convenient and logical for all 11 member countries
“There are three major Asian and two international competitions in 2022,” Tolentino said. “That leaves Vietnam a very small window to hold the SEA Games.”
The Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games are scheduled from March 10 to 20 in Thailand, the Asian Games is set Sept. 10 to 25 in Hangzhou, and the Asian Youth Games from Dec. 20 to 28 in Shantou.
The Beijing Winter Olympics is set Feb. 4 to 20 and the International Olympic Committee-sanctioned World Games will be held July 7 to 22 in Alabama.
“All these five competitions are major events, they are staged once every four years,” Tolentino said. The schedule for the Hanoi 31st SEA Games is as crucial as the Vietnamese government’s decision on holding the games in May.
“Cambodia, the host of the 32nd SEA Games, decided to hold the competitions in February 2023, after the Chinese New Year for that year,” Tolentino said. “And that’s the reason why Vietnam could only have until the latter part of May to host.”
If Hanoi is canceled, Tolentino said Vietnam could take its turn in 2027. “Thailand is host of the 33rd edition in 2025 and as of now, Laos or Brunei has yet to confirm for 2027. If these two countries pull back, then Vietnam gets its turn back.”
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