After the SEA Games Federation working committee met Today-Thursday (July 8), the Singapore National Olympic Council issued a statement to say that “it was decided that the SEA Games will not be held this year. The Vietnam NOC will explore new dates for consideration”.
It added that “the SNOC will adjust the selection policy accordingly to reflect the new dates once the details are confirmed,” David Lee reports.
There had been speculation that this year’s SEA Games would be rescheduled as the Vietnam Olympic Committee flagged concerns over the viability of staging the biennial Games this year with the region battling a surge in COVID-19 cases in recent months. The 40-sport meet was to feature over 10,000 athletes, coaches and other participants.
Vietnam, which last hosted the Games in 2003, reportedly set aside a budget of US $69 million to stage the competition.
While it had reportedly introduced a “no vaccine, no participation” policy for this year’s Games, the number of cases in the country has increased by almost 10 times since March to more than 23,000.
(Inputs with credit)
