Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar: The Myanmar 27th SEA Games Organising Committee (MYASOC) hosted the first meetings of the SEA Games Federation in preparation for the 27th SEA Games in Myanmar from December 11-22, 2013. The 27th SEA Games will take place in the new capital city of Nay Pyi Taw and in Yangon, with one sport each in Mandalay (women’s football) and Pathein Township Ngwesaung Beach (sailing). 

The following meetings of the SEA Games Federation were held on July 13 and July 14: Sports and Rules Committee, Medical Committee, Executive Committee and SEA Games Federation Council. All 11 member National Olympic Committees of the SEA Games Federation were present. At the meeting of the Sports and Rules Committee, MYASOC presented the following sports identified for 2013:

Category 1: 2 sports – Aquatics (Swimming, Diving and Water Polo) and Athletics.

Category 2: 24 sports – Archery, Badminton, Basketball, Billiards & Snooker, Boxing, Canoe, Cycling, Equestrian, Football including Futsal, Golf, Gymnastics, Judo, Karate, Rowing, Sepaktakraw, Sailing, Shooting, Table Tennis, Taekwondo, Tennis, Volleyball, Weightlifting, Wrestling and Wushu,

Category 3: 5 sports – Bodybuilding, Chess, Muay, Pencak Silat and Traditional Boat Race, 

The Sports and Rules Committee appealed for the inclusion of the following seven sports: Fencing, Fin Swimming, Hockey, Petanque, Soft Tennis, Tarung Derajat and Vovinam. The Organising Committee proposed the inclusion of the traditional sport of Chinlone as a demonstration sport. Chinlone is played by six players in a circle with a Sepaktakraw ball.

It is a discipline of Sepaktakraw and was played at the Busan 2002 Asian Games with slightly modified rules. The Committee decided to include Chinlone as a discipline of Sepaktakraw, with medals to be contested. The Chairman of the Executive Committee, U Thaung Htike, Secretary General of the Myanmar Olympic Committee, stated that the 27th SEA Games would be the third occasion for Myanmar to host the SEA Games, after 1961 and 1969, a break of 44 years.

He appealed for the support and understanding of the member NOCs of the SEA Games Federation to ensure that the 27th SEA Games would be a success. He added that Myanmar had not been developing many sports and therefore lacked the experience and athletes in a number of sports, which they would not be including in the 27th SEA Games. He stated that MYASOC has decided a maximum of 32 sports.

The Council meeting on July 14 was chaired by HE U Tint Hsan, President of the Myanmar Olympic Committee and Myanmar National Sport Committee, President of the SEA Games Federation and Union Minister of Sport and Hotels and Tourism. In his opening address, HE U Tint Hsan welcomed all the delegates and expressed his confidence that the organisation of the 27th SEA Games was on schedule and that the people and government of Myanmar looked forward to welcoming the athletes and sports fans to the Golden Land of Myanmar in 2013.

The Council received a series of items, including: A report on the organisation of the 28th SEA Games 2015 from the Singapore National Olympic Council; a report on the SEA Games Coordination Offie in Bangkok; a request from the Brunei Darussalam Olympic Committee to host the 30th SEA Games in 2019 instead of the 29th SEA Games in 2017; a request from the Cambodian Olympic Committee to host the 31st SEA Games in 2021 instead of the 29th SEA Games in 2017; and noted the readiness of the Olympic Council of Malaysia to host the 29th SEA Games in 2017, should there be no other willing host.

The government of Myanmar is building two new sports complexes about 20 km apart. Both are identical, with one football stadium of 30,000 seating capacity, three indoor stadia side by side, two with 3,500 seating capacity and one with 5,000 seating capacity, and one indoor swimming complex. The complexes are about 60% finished and are scheduled for completion by the end of 2012. There is also an Archery complex. Nay Pyi Taw will host 23 sports.

Report kindly submitted by Olympic Council of Malaysia