IS the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam no longer pushing through as scheduled later this year?
Multiple reports bared the SEA Games Organizing Committee is postponing the biennial showcase for next year due to the rising cases of COVID-19 in both Hanoi and neighboring countries.
The Malaysian-based website The Vibes.com first reported the development on Monday.
According to the report by T. Vignesh, the SEA Games Organizing Committee has written the National Olympic Councils (NOCs) of all member countries about the postponement, which will be thoroughly discussed in a scheduled meeting on June 9.
The same report mentioned the multi-sports showpiece could be moved to March 2022.
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has yet to make an official statement on the matter, but some members of the contingent to the SEA Games admitted a possible postponement is being talked about idiscreetly.
Vietnam wasn't among the SEA countries badly hit by the COVID-19 pandemic during its surge last year. But recent numbers showed the rising cases of the virus in different parts of the country, including provinces and cities where some of the SEA Games events will be held.
As per the COVID-19 tracker in the region, Vietnam has 8,287 active cases as of Monday (June 7), still the fourth least among SEA countries although the numbers are obviously on the rise.
A surge in COVID-19 cases are also noticeable in Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos, and East Timor.
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