Sports ministers to discuss a change in SEA Games name

Sports ministers to discuss a change in SEA Games name

JAKARTA (JP): The Southeast Asian Games may soon be no more.
At a meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations
(ASEAN) sports ministers yesterday, it was suggested to change
the name of the competition to the ASEAN Games after Cambodia is
admitted into the association.

Indonesia's State Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Hayono
Isman said after the meeting that the outgoing ASEAN secretary-
general, Dato Ajit Singh, suggested the idea to him.

"He said we should consider changing the SEA Games into the
ASEAN Games. And I told him that I would relay his thinking to my
fellow ASEAN ministers," Hayono said.

The suggestion will be discussed by the 10 countries
individually and then at the first ASEAN Sports Ministerial
Meeting in Kuala Lumpur next month.

Hayono said the ASEAN Secretariat may not have to be involved
in the staging of the Games if the name was changed.

However no final decision can be taken until Cambodia is
admitted to ASEAN. Phnom Penh was due to join the regional
grouping with Laos and Myanmar at the ASEAN ministerial meeting
in July but was excluded after the country was rocked by massive
internal strife at the beginning of the month.

The meeting also considered changing some SEA Games Federation
rules, including the one saying that each event must be approved
by at least four countries. Hayono said that as there were now 10
competing countries the meeting discussed increasing the number
of approving nations to five.

Also taking part in yesterday's meeting, the first time
involving sports officials in the region, were head of the Laos
Sports Committee Khampone Phanongsa, Myanmar Sports Minister
Brig. Gen. Sein Win, Head of the Philippines Sports Committee
Philip . E Juico, Brunei Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports
Pehin Haji Hussain, Vietnam Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports
Ha Quang Du, Cambodian Sports Minister Bun Sok, Malaysian
Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports Tan Sri Haji Mubyiddin Bin
Haji Mohd Yassin, Abdullah Tarmugi of Singapore 's Ministers and
Development Office, and governor of Thai sports authorities
Sakchye Tap Suwan.

All countries' representatives agreed with President
Soeharto's idea not to emphasize their ambition in becoming the
overall champion but more to improve the ASEAN sports
development.

Sukchye said: "We're all here not only to seek the medals but
to break world records. We support his idea to improve ASEAN
countries achievements at the world level."

"The priority sports for ASEAN countries are track and field,
wrestling, swimming and shooting," Hayono said.

The meeting also agreed to support ASEAN countries'
traditional sports, such as Pencak Silat and Thai boxing.

"Through the informal gathering, we can help each other
promote ASEAN sports in the world. We hope one day, the
traditional sports like Pencak Silat and Thai boxing will be
played in the Olympics," he said.

Hayono also criticized the number of events in the Games,
saying that by staging 34 events Indonesia obviously wanted to
take the overall title from Thailand, which took it when it
hosted the 1995 games in Chiang Mai.

"In the 1999 Games in Brunei Darussalam, there will be a
maximum of only 20 sports contested. If small countries like
Brunei, Vietnam and Laos have to stage 34 sports, they may not be
able to stage the event due to their limited infrastructure and
human resources," Hayono said.

"For Indonesia, we have had to deal with the limited time and
budget and so the Games will not be perfect." (yan)