Philippines announces host of SEA Games 2019

Hanoi (VNA) – The Philippine Government has
announced on August 17 that it would host the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in
2019, one month after pulling out citing the increasing cost of the fight
against Islamist gunmen in the southern Marawi city.
Jose Cojuangco, President of the Philippine Olympic
Committee has written a letter to President Rodrigo Duterte, appealing that the
30th SEA Games should proceed as scheduled.
The Philippine presidential palace has decided to
reconsider the earlier decision of not hosting the regional sport event after a
meeting with some senior Government officials, including Foreign Secretary Alan
Peter Cayetano and Chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission William
Ramirez.
[Philippines withdraws from hosting 2019 SEA Games]
Philippine authorities said the country will
officially notify the SEA Games Federation on August 18 of its commitments to
host the biennial sport event in 2019.
In July, the Philippine Government announced to pull
out of hosting the SEA Games to focus on re-building Marawi city, which has
been ravaged by clashes lasting more than two months between the Government’s
forces and Islamist gunmen.
It accepted to become the host of the SEA Games 30 in
2015, after the post was begged off by Vietnam and Brunei.-VNA