SEA Games venues set for rehabilitation

Major venues and sites around Metro Manila are set to undergo repairs and refurbishments starting next month in the runup to the country’s hosting of the 2019 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William “Butch” Ramirez told the Bulletin yesterday that the entire Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila and the Philsports in Pasig are set for renovation.

The SEAG will take pace Nov. 30Dec. 10, 2019 with Manila sharing hosting rights with main hub The New Clark Green City in Capas, Tarlac.

Subic Bay in Zambales will take care of watersports other than swimming, which will be staged at the main hub.

At least 12 sports are happening in the National Capital Region, including the marquee ones: Basketball, boxing, and volleyball.

The RMSC alone will hold a few events alongside the Mall of Asia Arena for basketball, PICC for boxing and Smart-Araneta Coliseum for women’s volleyball.

“We are right on target,” said Ramirez, who conferred with members of the organizing committee last Thursday.

If formally approved, the 2019 SEAG will feature 56 sports. The final composition of sports and events will be known when all member nations converge next month.

The Philippines is bidding to reclaim the overall crown it held when it last hosted the biennial sportsfest in 2005.