Philippines Expected To Decide 2019 SEA Games Host Job By Next Week

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 8 (Bernama) -- The decision on whether the Philippines will host the 30th edition of the SEA Games will be decided by the South East Asia Games Federation (SEAGF) which is scheduled to meet here next week. Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) president Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja’afar said the decision on who will host the largest sporting event in Southeast Asia will be made on Aug 18 by the Philippines Olympic Committee (POC) at a meeting which will also be attended by representatives from 10 countries. "The top officials from 10 countries will be arriving on Aug 18, and we will have a SEAGF Council meeting here to discuss all the issues including the Philippines as the SEA Games host. "On that day we will know whether they (the Philippines) are confirming or not because if not the council is going to find another host in two years time," he said at a press conference after chairing an OCM board meeting here, Monday. Last month, China’s Xinhua news agency reported that the Philippines had withdrawn its plan to host the biennial games due to terrorism threats that continue to hang over the Mindanao region in the southern Philippines. However, the POC has confirmed that they were still negotiating with their government to allow the Games to be held in 2019 as they are still interested, after having hosted the 2005 edition in Manila. -- BERNAMA