SEA Games Events may be cut if haze worsens

SINGAPORE — Delivering a “safe Games” for over 7,000 athletes, officials, supporters and spectators will be key for event organisers of the SEA Games when the regional multi-sports event is held here from June 5 to 16 next year, but events could even be cancelled if haze conditions become dangerous.

Speaking in Parliament yesterday, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) Lawrence Wong said that the Singapore SEA Games Organising Committee (SINGSOC) is drawing up plans to mitigate the impact of haze on the Games, with sports events to be moved indoors, postponed or cancelled if the situation worsens.

Contingency plans are also in place to allow national athletes to train safely indoors if the haze returns in the lead-up to the Games.

“SINGSOC will build in buffers in the competition schedule to allow for postponement of events if necessary,” said Wong, in response to Nominated Member of Parliament Nicholas Fang’s question on updates on contingency plans for transboundary haze during the Games.

“For example, we have scheduled the marathon very early in the competition. So that gives us more buffer time.

“SINGSOC is also developing a framework to determine whether or not to proceed with events at differing levels of air quality ... (it) will take reference from the air quality descriptor and public health advisories issued by the National Environment Agency and will be overseen by a committee comprising representatives from the International and Asian Sports Federations, as well as experts in various fields.

But he added: “If the bad air quality persists, then we may have no choice but to shorten or cancel certain events.”

The trans-boundary haze, which originate from wildfires in neighbouring Indonesia, typically hits Singapore and Malaysia between June and October annually.

However, Wong stressed that the measures will not significantly affect costs of organising the 12-day meet, which will feature 402 events across 36 sports and is expected to see more than 7,000 athletes from 11 South-east Asian nations competing.

“I don’t think this will incur significant costs as provisions are made in the contract so that we can make these cancellations in the event of such scenarios,” he said. “So we are able to manage the cost and implications of the haze.”

With the Games returning to Singapore after a 22-year absence, Wong is hopeful that the Games, which will be held at three main clusters in Kallang, Marina and Expo and 12 other locations, will leave a “lasting legacy for sports in Singapore.”

The Ministry and their partners aim to do this via improvements in the high performance system for national athletes, showcasing the Sports Hub’s facilities and profiling Singapore as a venue for international sporting events, and getting more Singaporeans to participate in sports.