SEA Games 31: Delegation Registration Meeting finalises all issues before Games begin

Vietnam functional team works with representatives from Timor-Leste NOC. (Photo: VNA)

The Delegation Registration Meeting (DRM) ended on May 6 with most delegations confirming all information regarding the organisation of the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31).

The six-day meeting, held in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi and involving chiefs of delegations and National Olympic Committees of Southeast Asian nations in both the in-person and online formats, was held to finalise all outstanding issues.

According to the announcement from the meeting, the women’s shot put and men’s hammer throw will not be held because of a lack of athletes, as per regulations.

In the women’s shot put, there are only competitors from Thailand and Indonesia, while the men’s hammer throw only has competitors from Thailand and Malaysia. Regulations state that an event can only be held if there are at least three teams participating.

Earlier, the women’s beach handball was cancelled for the same reason, as only Vietnam and Thailand had teams taking part.

As a result of this, SEA Games 31 has 40 sports with 523 events.

Also, in athletics, Filipino sprinter Kristina Knott will miss the Games due to a torn ligament in her foot.

The 26-year-old will not be able to defend the gold medal she won in the 200-metre sprint in the previous SEA Games in 2019 in her home country. She also claimed silver in the 100-metre sprint and gold in the 4x100 metre relay.

Vietnam functional team works with Nawarat Chaichan, representative from Thailand NOC. (Photo: VNA)

Earlier, Vietnamese sprint queen Lê Tú Chinh was also forced to withdraw because of a knee injury. She is the reigning champion of the 100-metre sprint.

The absence of the two fastest women means that new champions will be crowned at SEA Games 31.

SEA Games 31 will officially kick off on May 12. However, events such as football, kickboxing, diving, futsal, and kurash will have begun prior to that day. Nearly 5,100 athletes from 11 countries in Southeast Asia will compete in 40 sports for 523 gold medals./.