while attending an online conference of the South East Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) held on June 24.
The region’s largest sporting event was originally scheduled to take place in Vietnam later this year. However, the fresh coronavirus outbreak has cast a shadow over preparations, forcing the hosts to propose delaying the competition until next year.
During the SEAGF meeting, representatives of participating nations expressed their concerns about the complex nature of the pandemic in the region as well as in Vietnam, and requested that the SEAGF consider the new date that would not affect their sporting schedule next year.
A number of international sporting events are due to take place next year, including the Winter Olympic Games in China in February, the Asian Indoor and the Martial Arts Games in Thailand in March, the Commonwealth Games in England in July, and the Asian Games in China in September.
Some representatives said April or May 2022 would be suitable time for the 31 SEA Games that gives Cambodia enough time to host the 32nd games. But the decision has not been made yet.
Also at the gathering, both Thailand and Brunei were confirmed as hosts of the 33rd and 34th SEA Games in 2025 and 2027 respectively.
The next online meeting of the SEAGF members will be held virtually on July 8.
Source: VOV
31st SEA Games may be postponed due to Covid-19 epidemic
It is likely that the 31st SEA Games, which is scheduled to take place from November 21 through December 2 in Vietnam, will be postponed because of developments of the Covid-19 pandemic in Vietnam and Southeast Asia.