Delegates from Malaysia and Singapore are set to arrive in the country today for a first hand glimpse of the different venues to be used in the 23rd Philippine Southeast Asian Games.
Three teams of two to three officials each make up the Malaysian contingent while the Singapore delegation is composed of two teams of three to five officials each.
All of them are going to visit the 20 playing fields, including the Rizal Memorial Track and Field oval, within the main hub in Manila and its corresponding satellite venues in Bacolod, Cebu and Subic Bay Freeport.
The Rizal track oval is currently undergoing a major facelift and so does the Paglaum Stadium in Bacolod, where the football games will be held.
The Malaysian officials arriving from Kuala Lumpur are Low Beng Choo, Puah Pei Ling and Macklin Amzah (Team A), Noor Azman Mohd Kasim and M.P. Haridas, D. Menon (Team B) and Arrifin Mohd Ghani and Saadon Shukor (Team C).
On the other hand, the contingent from Singapore is led by Adam Bin Masbah, Alan Todd Vladich and Kenneth Lim Boon Yam (Team A), Lee Ping Hun Antony, Tay Hwei Chin, Chong Suat Yen Amy, Woon How Chiang Jason and Mak Weng Kin (Team B).
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Butch Ramirez said the two countries paid for their own expenses including airfares and accommodations.
"They will come here on their own. Sarili nilang gastos lahat," said Ramirez. "It’s part of their familiarization with the playing venues in the hope of helping their respective countries assess the sports where they are strong."
Other than the Rizal Sports Complex, also to be checked out by the foreign delegates are the Emilio Aguinaldo College (wushu), Pearl Bowling Centre (bowling and billards), Astrodome (taekwondo), GSIS Teatro (bodybuilding), Philsports (badminton), Pasig Sports Centre (fencing), Blue Eagle gym (women’s basketball), Trace College, Los Baños (aquatics), Muntinlupa, San Beda gym (gymnastics), PNSA Clay Target Range (trap and skeet shooting), Alabang Country Club (equestrian), Fort Bonifacio (pistol and rifle shooting), Amoranto (cycling track events) and Angeles City (lawn bowls and petanque).