AAA insists hosts hold all T/F events

MANILA, Philippines — The Asian Athletics Association (AAA) has asked the Philippines to hold all track and field events in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games or risk the possiblity of getting the centerpiece sport scapped altogether in the biennial meet.

In a official communication to the Philippine SEAG organizers last Tuesday, AAA technical delegate Cuddi Kotta Valson stressed the Asian body won’t be sanctioning an athletics competition that’s missing a single event.

“The secretary general of the AAA, Mr. Maurice Nicholas has asked me to request the organizer to include all events; failing which athletics (sport) may be withdrawn from the 2019 SEA Games,” Valson wrote.

Phl had sought to delist the 5k run, 10k run, and 20k walk races for both men’s and women’s in the calendar of the SEAG in Clark, citing logistical issues.

“If you see the last three edition of the SEA Games, not a single event was cancelled,” said Valson, who added that only AAA can scrap an event and only in case of lack of participants.

“If you want to cancel any events, you have to get the approval from the Asian Athletics Association. As technical delegate, I am empowered to cancel an event only if the number of entries falls within the stipulated number as mentioned in the regulation. Otherwise, it is the AAA (with the authority) to take such a decision.”

Valson said he didn’t sign the list of events prepared by the Phl organizers “because some of the events were not listed.”

With mixed gender 4x100m relay and 4x400m relays in the program, the athletics competition in the Phl SEAG would balloon to 48 events, the biggest ever, according to Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) president Philip Ella Juico.