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)