VietNamNet Bridge – A representative of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism did not show up at a news briefing held on April 1 after the Government’s regular meeting as public concerns are mounting over a patchy plan to host the Asian Games 18 in 2019 (Asiad 18).

The chair for a representative of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is left empty at the Government’s news briefing on April 1.

The media asked so many questions about Asiad that Minister and Head of the Government Office Nguyen Van Nen called for a stoppage of discussion about this.

Nen, however, said, “This morning the Prime Minister assigned the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism to report on the matter at a meeting slated for next week so that the Prime Minister can decide.

“We can believe that the Prime Minister will certainly make an appropriate conclusion.”

At the Government meeting on April 1 morning, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung reproached the sports ministry for failure to inform him of the Asiad hosting plan.

“I kindly request Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh to submit a report next week which details a plan to host Asiad 18,” PM Dung said. “The hosting plan went before the National Assembly without my prior knowledge.”

He added, “I have not heard anything about the plan… The Prime Minister should first have a say on whether a budgeting scheme for it is fine or not.

“The principle is (the ministry) can implement it but the hosting plan must be sound and workable; otherwise, it should be scrapped.”

When the sports ministry presented the plan to host Asiad 18 at an estimated cost of around US$150 million, the ministries of finance, and planning-investment and economic experts cast doubt on it, saying the actual cost could be 10 times higher.

At a working session with the National Assembly Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children on March 19, the committee together with other committees of the National Assembly and relevant ministries said such a cost could not ensure the hosting of Asiad. Moreover, it would pile more pressure on the already-limited State budget, they said.

Many countries that previously hosted Asiad and Olympics suffered huge debts. The sports ministry’s argument that the hosting of Asiad would help Vietnam improve sport achievements was described as unconvincing.

Over the past time, many experts said that hosting Asiad 18 at an estimated cost of US$150 million is infeasible and Vietnam should withdraw from the plan to avoid a waste of resources.

Phan Dinh Tan, deputy chief of the office of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said at the meeting late last month that the ministry would not spend more than the estimated cost but would upgrade existing facilities instead of building new ones to cut spending.

According to Ha Quang Du, former chairman of the Vietnam Olympic Committee, in the current situation, Vietnam would better quit hosting the games.

Taking Asiad as an excuse to promote the country’s image and tourism growth, Du said in a recent interview with Tuoi Tre newspaper, is an unreasonable and old approach as tourists do not wait until Asiad to travel to Vietnam and Asiad is not attractive enough to attract a huge number of tourists. Besides, revenues to be collected from Asiad events would be definitely insufficient to cover expenditures.

Source: SGT