Brunei, Malaysia to host next two SEA Games

Brunei, Malaysia to host next two SEA Games

JAKARTA (JP): The 19th SEA Games Federation Executive Council
Meeting yesterday officially declared Brunei Darussalam as the
Games host in 1999.

The federation's secretary-general, Rudolph S. Warouw of
Indonesia, told reporters that for the 21st Games in 2001, the
federation recommended Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

"Malaysia has agreed to host the event. Informally, Vietnam
has also agreed to be the host, but considering the work required
we all think Malaysia is more prepared," Warouw said.

The decision to nominate Malaysia comes a day after the
chairman of the rules committee of the SEA Games Federation,
Cahyo Adi, said further SEA Games hosts should be announced four
years in advance.

"By doing so, the host country is given a better chance of
preparing not only the holding of the Games but can also prepare
its contingent, and overcome any financial problems," Cahyo was
quoted as saying by Kompas yesterday.

Among the problems Indonesia has faced preparing for this
year's Games are a lack of funds and the failure to complete
several venues.

This year's Games required a total budget of Rp 105 billion
(US$36.2 million). But the SEA Games consortium, chaired by
President Soeharto's second son, Bambang Trihatmodjo, only
managed to accumulate Rp 62 billion.

The funds come from sticker sales, sponsorship and donations.

Because of the lack of funds, the renovation of a number of
venues had to be delayed although the organizing committee had
already spent Rp 60.4 billion on preparations, sports equipment,
computers, training, the opening ceremony and transportation.

The venues are now complete and most athletes have used them
for practice.

Earlier yesterday, Moch. Hindarto, the organizers' competition
deputy, said that Brunei would decide the number of sports events
a year before the next Games.

"The federation members will propose the number of events next
year," he said.

At the previous council meeting in June, the federation
suggested Brunei host only 20 sports.

This year, the Games features 34 sports in which 438 gold
medals are on offer.

Warouw said Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia had yet to propose
being the host.

"I think they still need a long time to prepare before they
can become the host," he said.

The meeting yesterday also discussed the cancellation of two
weight lifting events; the women's 83kgs and over and the men's
91kgs due to lack of participants.

Only Thailand and Myanmar would have competed in the women's
83kgs and over and only Thailand had registered for the men's
91kgs. The federation rules said that an event can only proceed
if at least three countries participate.

"Based on the weight lifting international federation rules,
we cannot feature either events because they don't meet the
rules. But the athletes still come to the weigh-in but they won't
compete," Hindarto said.

The executive council also inducted two honorary members;
Charouck Arirachakaran of Thailand and Mohammad Bob Hasan of
Indonesia.

"We all know that they both have given much to sports
development," Warouw said.

Bob Hasan, one of Indonesia's highest-profile businessmen, is
very active in helping the development of track and field,
gymnastics, weight lifting and golf.

The council also handed over Order of Merit awards to SS
Dhillon of Singapore, Soeprajogi and Soeweno of Indonesia for
their service in sports although they have not been active
anymore.

Soeprajogi was a former National Sports Council chairman while
Soeweno was the council's executive chairman.

Another item which was discussed in the rules meeting was
having the three commissions in the SEA Games Federation be led
by the host country in that year's SEA Games. The three
commissions are rules, sports and medical.

"This was implemented during this year's Games where the three
commissions were headed by Indonesia as the host. But this did
not follow the federation's statute," Cahyo said. (yan/lnt)