Bowling may not be contested at 2019 Games in Philippines
MALAYSIA had better enjoy their success at the bowling alley while they can.
They swept seven out of the 11 golds at stake in the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.
They also won four silvers and three bronzes to be the overall champions.
The other countries who also featured in the medal count were Singapore (232), Indonesia (123) and Thailand (122).
The Philippines, the hosts of the next Games in 2019, won just one bronze.
And therein lies the problem. The glaring lack of gold count may result in the Philippines dropping bowling from the next Games.
The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) will draw up the list of sports for the 2019 Games after the KL edition.
POC secretary Stephen Hontiveros said that bowling “has been a huge disappointment for us”.
“Not one gold medal,” he thundered. “And to think that we used to have world champions in our midst. The sport is now struggling.
“I have told the Philippines bowling officials that they need to prove themselves and show they can win.”
Hontiveros, who is also a member of the Philippine Bowling Federation, admitted that there was “no point hosting an event if it’s not going to bring you success”.
“We have to think about the costs and the value of having a particular sport in the programme.
“I do not want to be presumptuous, but it’s the same for all the sports,” he said, adding that they will decide on the number of sports at the next SouthEast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) meeting.
The Philippines will take over the chairmanship of the SEAGF after the KL Games.
They will list the sports to be contested in 2019 at the SEAGF meeting early next year.
But that will just be the provisional list and will allow for the sports that have been left out to appeal for their inclusion.
“We will go through the formalities but, at the end of the day, we have to be realistic.
“Why would I want to include a sport that will not bring any medal and give away many to others?
“There are some sports that are developing.
“All this will be taken into consideration before a decision is reached,” he said.
Malaysia and Singapore bowling officials are already lobbying for the game to be included in the 2019 Games.
They met Hontiveros during the KL Games to discuss the issue.