The Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) is holding talks with a number of alternate venues that can be tapped in case repairs on the chosen sites for the Nov. 30-Dec. 11 SEAG fail to meet the deadline.
Phisgoc Executive Director Tom Carrasco said on Monday that the sports in danger of being played elsewhere include volleyball, taekwondo, weightlifting and gymnastics.
Carrasco said volleyball is penciled to be held at the Philsports Arena in Pasig while taekwondo and weightlifting have been eyed for staging at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium (NAS) and gymnastics at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum.
These venues are still in the thick of rehabilitation and upgrade and Carrasco said the Phisgoc is just looking for a fallback just in case repairs on them don’t meet the deadline.
“We were told that it will be finished in time for the opening but we are looking for venues that can be used just in case,” said Carrasco.
Carrasco said the GSIS is being looked as alternate venue for taekwondo and weightlifting while two venues in Binan and Sta. Rosa in Laguna could be used for volleyball.
“We are still looking at other (backup) venues,” said Carrasco.
The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has given the various contractors of a Nov. 15 deadline for the completion of repairs on the government-owned facilities.
Once finished, the Rizal Coliseum, built in 1934, and the NAS, put up in 1989, are poised to host collegiate basketball games from the UAAP and NCAA.
The main hub of the SEAG will be at the New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, where athletics and swimming are going to be played.
Other than these centerpiece sports, all the other marquee sports, including basketball and boxing, will take place in Metro Manila.