The 30th Southeast Asian Games formally went full blast via a glamorous opening ceremony last night, but tons of concerns remain unresolved.
According to a national sports association (NSA) official, their international technical officials (ITO) and national technical officials (NTO) have yet to book their flight to Manila with barely a day before their technical meeting.
The source said if their ITO and NTO would not get their tickets on time, they have no choice but to scratch their trip, putting the staging of their sport in serious trouble.
This is the same problem that hounded aquatics last week as its Asian federation had to issue a serious warning before the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) processed the ticket of its ITO and NTO.
Together with athletics, aquatics — which has swimming, diving and water polo disciplines under it — is a mandatory sport and its absence from the Games would reduce it into a mere sportsfest and the results won’t be recognized by international sports bodies.
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“We already have a technical meeting tomorrow, but our ITO from abroad and NTO from various provinces have yet to get their plane tickets,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“Phisgoc has to do something about it. If the ITO and NTO would not be here tomorrow, we have no choice but to scratch the meeting and the staging of the sport will be in doubt. It’s going to be a
tough situation that could lead to another embarrassment.”
Phisgoc has been bombarded with complains since the Games started last week. Football players from Thailand, Cambodia, Timor-Leste and Myanmar suffered delays at the airport and encountered trouble with food and
transportation.
Even home team, the national women’s
football squad, complained about food and the shabby treatment in their accommodation.
The chiefs of mission of 11 countries held a meeting last Thursday, where they told Phisgoc international relations director Porfirio Marzan that their concerns in food, water, transportation and accommodation remain unresolved.
The Philippine Sports Commission had already stepped in and took over in other general services, including the processing of accreditation.
