Philippines to take over as 2019 SEA Games host
The Philippines has come to the rescue as the host of the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games after original host Brunei pulled out.
Brunei last month announced it would not have facilities ready in time.
The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) announced it would step in as host for the event which will welcome more than 4,000 ASEAN athletes from 11 countries in 36 sports.
PSC chairman Richie Garcia hasn’t disclosed a budget but will use all existing venues, many of which were built for the SEA Games it hosted in 2005.
"We have a general idea as to how much it will cost because we are not going to build any large infrastructure," Garcia said.
Singapore spent about $240 million on the last Games held recently there.
"We’re going to maximise the use of existing facilities that we also used in the 2005 Games here, plus we will approach the management of Mall of Asia and the Philippine Arena for their facilities," said Garcia.
The Philippine Arena is the world’s largest multipurpose indoor arena with a capacity of 55,000.
Water sports events will take place at Subic Bay, about two hours north of Manila, Garcia said.
Apart from 2005, the Philippines also hosted the SEA Games in 1981 and 1991.
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