SEA GAMES FEDERATION COUNCIL - NEEDS AN URGENT SOUL SEARCHING...

In every Sea Games cycle, the similar issues are raised, mainly regarding the host decision on finalizing the number of sports. Host Vietnam 2021 Sea Games had listed 36 sports, the other 10 countries appealed for the inclusion of 22 more sports and three disciplines.

The 36 sports are athletics, aquatics (swimming and diving), archery, badminton, basketball, boxing, canoe, cycling (road and mountain bike), dancesport, fencing, football/futsal, golf, gymnastics, handball, volleyball, judo, karate, rowing, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, tennis, weightlifting and wrestling, billiards and snooker, chess/xiangqi (Chinese chess), Muay, pencak silat, petanque, sepak takraw, finswimming, bodybuilding, wushu, kurash, kickboxing, vovinam (Vietnamese martial arts).

As Host, this will be the main criteria's of the Host Nation to decide on the list of Sports either than the Charter & Rules requirements:

1. Popularity of the Sports & Talent

2. Medal prospect for the Host - key criteria to justify inclusion and financial support from Government

3. Availability of  Venue & Logistics

4. Min 4 Nations participation

5. Each adopted sport must belong to an existing International Sport Federation (IF) and/or an Asian Sport Federation (ASF)

And Malaysia has appealed for 11 Sports to be included but the above 5 points will be the crucial points of consideration by Vietnam as the host to decide. The 11 sports for inclusion are indoor hockey, netball, sailing, tenpin bowling, squash, lawn bowls, cricket, rugby 7s, skateboard, floorball and sambo (a Soviet origin combat sport).

The other sports asked to be included are muay, triathlon, taekwondo ITF, traditional boat race, jujitsu, e-sports, arnis, obstacle course, kempo, teqball and soft tennis; while the three disciplines are chinlone (under sepak takraw), water polo and synchronised swimming (under aquatics).

The SEAGF need to do some soul searching on the following points:

1. No Limitation of Number of Sports to be organised by the Host. There should be a "Cap" imposed. Maximum of 40 Sports would be ideal.

2. Delay in announcement of Sports would hinder the financial & performance plan of the participating 11 Nations.The Final List of Sport must be finalized before the end of each Closing. For e.g. for the next 2023 Sea Games in Cambodia the Final List would be made at the Closing Ceremony of 2021 Vietnam Sea Games. 

3. Should increase the Olympic & Asian Games Category to Minimum 20 rather than Minimum 14. This would permit the growth of SEA Nations to achieve higher success at bigger events. 

4. If possible take away the Closing Ceremony as a requirement and that cost to be used as development fund of SEAGF to assist poor Nation to host events or support infrastructure building. The Announcement of next Host could be done as part of the program of the Opening Ceremony.

5. SEAGF could consider to introduce YOUTH SEA GAMES (Under 21) in between the years of SEA GAMES. This would encourage the development and promotion of the Youth within SEA Nations to be involved in Sports and many countries could use this platform to create and gauge the future Champions.

6. The Dates of Sea Games must take into consideration of Weather Forecast or possible unwanted catastrophic. Most Games held in Nov or Dec which has always been the peak period of unwanted matters.

7. The Objective of every Host is to be Champion in Medal Tally as this equation creates favoritism and deviates from its original objectives. SEAGF must reevaluate the objectives of organizing the Games and come out with some internal control policies.   

8. SEAGF may consider to host this SEA GAMES in every 3 years rather than 2 years now. This would allow the Host and Teams to be better prepared and increases the hunger within the Athletes. It would save big biennial expenses of each Nation and most Nations could use this savings in their youth sports development plan.

9. Need to undertake a thorough "Cost Analysis Benefit" Study. A cost benefit analysis (also known as a benefit cost analysis) is a process to be undertaken by SEAGF to analyze decisions, systems or projects, or determine a value for intangibles. The model should built on by identifying the benefits of the games as well as the associated costs, and subtracting the costs from benefits. When completed, a cost benefit analysis shall yield concrete results that SEAGF could be used to develop reasonable conclusions around the feasibility and/or advisability of a decision or situation for the future of this Games. Many Nations just spending huge funds without any growth or progress in term of Athlete success at higher level i.e. Asian Games & Olympic and huge infrastructure remains a White Elephant after the games 

For the Readers, below are the Charter & Rules imposed by SEAGF to each Host Nation of Sea Games on the selection & finalization of the Sports:

The sports programme adopted for any one SEA Games shall consist of a minimum 22 sports, with events contained therein to be determined based on the following criteria: 

There shall be no artificial events, especially for those adopted team events, unless the same are already practiced in the Olympic or Asian Games. 

A minimum of four NOCs must participate in a sport/event for it to be included in the programme of the SEA Games, with a proviso to allow varying the same as and when required. 

With the exception of Athletics, Aquatics, and Shooting, other sports in the SEA Games programme shall not have more than five (5%) percent of the total number of events or medal tally. 

Following the existing guidelines of Athletics and Aquatics being Compulsory Sports, with a minimum of 14 sports from Category II and a maximum of 8 sports from Category III, South East Asian Games Federation Charter, 11 sports programme in the SEA Games should give priority or preference to those sports that are already included in the IOC and/or OCA sports programmes. 

CATEGORY I: 

COMPULSORY SPORTS 

1. Athletics 2. Swimming (including Diving and water polo) 

CATEGORY II: 

SPORTS IN THE OLYMPIC GAMES AND THE ASIAN GAMES 

(MINIMUM 14 SPORTS) 

1 Archery 2 Badminton 3 Baseball 4 Basketball 5 Billiards & Snooker 6 Bowling (Tenpin) 7 Boxing 8 Canoeing 9 Cycling 10 Equestrian & Polo 11 Fencing 12 Football 13 Golf 14 Gymnastics 15 Handball 16 Hockey 17 Judo 18 Karate-do 19 Modern Pentathlon 20 Rowing 21 Rugby 22 Sailing 23 Sepak Takraw 24 Softball 25 Soft Tennis 26 Shooting 27 Squash 28 Table Tennis 29 Taekwondo 30 Tennis 31 Triathlon 32 Volleyball 33 Weightlifting 34 Wrestling 35 Wushu 

CATEGORY III: 

OTHER SPORTS (MAXIMUM 8 SPORTS) 

1 Arnis 2 Bodybuilding 3 Chess 4 Dance sport 5 Fin swimming 6 Lawn Bowls 7 Kempo 8 Muay 9 Netball 10 Petanque 11 Pencak Silat 12 Shuttlecock 13 Traditional Boat Race 14 Water skiing 15 Vovinam 

The Organizing Committee may hold as a “Demonstration Sports”, one (1) sport, subject to the approval of the Executive Committee.

The next 4 edition of Sea Games will be in Cambodia 2023, Thailand 2025, Brunei 2027 (TBC) & Laos 2029.