NCR to host medal-rich events

The Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Philsoc) yesterday named a number of possible venues to be used when the country stages the 23rd edition of the SEA Games next year.

Red Dumuk, who chairs the Philsoc’s venue management and operation committee, said most of the designated venues are located in the Games’ main hub–the National Capital Region (NCR)– which also hosted the 1981 and 1991 editions of the event.

"More or less ito na ‘yung mga venues na gagamitin sa 2005 SEAG, ‘yung iba na man subject for confirmation pa," said Dumuk, a former secretary-general of both the triathlon and wrestling associations.

The old Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila will host most of the disciplines, including the mandatory sports like athletics (Rizal track oval ) and aquatics (Rizal pool).

Baseball (Rizal ballpark), gymnastics (Ninoy Aquino Stadium) and sepak takraw (Rizal Coliseum) are also set to be held at the 70-year-old venue.

The oval, baseball field, Ninoy Aquino Stadium and pool, however, will need to undergo major renovations since these sites are way below the international standard.

"Diyan na papasok ang Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) dahil sila ang in-charge sa renovation ng mga venue na ito," Dumuk said.

Basketball, the most popular sports in the country, is set to be held at the Philsports Arena in Pasig City, another venue managed and maintained by the sports agency under chairman Eric Buhain.

Venues for gold medal-rich disciplines like wushu and fencing (GSIS Auditorium), taekwondo (Folk Arts Theater) karatedo (Cuneta Astrodome) and bowling (Green Valley in Pasig City) have also been identified.

The Makati Coliseum could play host to table tennis and billiards and snookers, Rosario, Pasig to softball, and the Nomad’s Place in Merville, Parañaque to petanque, an unknown sports in the country but is popular to neighboring SEA countries.

Disciplines set to be held at the outskirts of Metro Manila or some parts of Luzon are rowing, traditional boat race and canoeing/kayaking (La Mesa Dam), board sailing and triathlon (Subic), archery (Southwoods), equestrian (Carmona, Cavite) and golf (Riviera).

Dumuk said they are still awaiting the final proposals of potential satellite venues Negros Occidental/Bacolod City, Cebu and Naga City as to which five sports they could host.

Bacolod/Negros Occidental for one, is reportedly eyeing volleyball, weightlifting, football, boxing and water polo while Cebu is looking at hosting events like boxing, dance sports, mountain bike and chess among others.

"We’re still awaiting for their final proposal. Yung sa Naga City naman, they are also interested in hosting some sports events," Dumuk said. "It’s safe to say that we’ll come up with the final list possibly by the end of April after we finish our series of meetings and consultations with the various national sports assciations (NSAs)."

Cycling, for its part, is looking at holding the sport at four possible venues–Subic (road race), mountain bike Danao City, Cebu or Tanay, Rizal, criterium (Velodrome) and individual Time Trial (Baguio City).