Manila SEAG events to be less than 400

The Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Philsoc) will not hold more than 400 events in the biennial meet the country is hosting next year.

"It should be less than 400 events, that’s the Philsoc’s target," said Nestor Ilagan, a member of the technical committee chaired by former sports commissioner Richie Garcia, in a meeting yesterday.

Following a series of meetings with the majority of the National Sports Associations (NSAs)arlier, Garcia’s group determined 226 events which are part of the sports calendar in the 2005 RP SEAG.

Yesterday, Red Dumuk, who chairs the venue management and operations committee by the Philsoc, estimated an additional 164 events, the bulk coming from medal-rich disciplines like athletics (45), swimming (32), wushu (20) and cycling (20).

The rest came from judo (16), bowling (12), equestrian (4), aerobics (9) and boardsailing (4).

"These are just estimates because we haven’t talked to some of the NSAs yet," said Dumuk referring to athletics, judo, bowling and equestrian.

Dumuk also disclosed that the Philsoc and Cebu City will sign a memorandum of agreement next month, naming the Queen City of the South as one of the two provincial hubs of next year’s SEAG edition.

The Philsoc already named the National Capital Region as the main hub, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental as the other satellite venues and Subic Bay, Cavite and Laguna as other provincial venues in "special cases."