31ST SEA GAMES IN VIETNAM: AT WHAT COST?

Vietnam, as host country, wants to postpone the 31st SEA Games. The Vietbam Olympic Committee asked the Olympic committees of ASEAN members for their decision whether to postpone or push through with the Games in November. 8 out of 11 countries voted for the Games to go on as scheduled.

It is unfortunate that majority of the ASEAN members seem to forget that Covid-19 can kill and cause so much domestic problems as they insist in holding the Games this year. Gathering thousands of athletes, sports officials and sports writers in Vietnam is a virtual suicide. The Games are certainly a super spreader event. 

What makes the vote of the 8 countries not to postpone the games so ridiculous is the fact that the Games will only be postponed for a later date. The Games will not be cancelled at all. Vietnam is simply asking for a delay in holding the Games to contain the Covid-19 virus and effectively manage the risk of infection among the participants.

There is a human aspect to the issue.  No amount of gold medals can compensate for the loss of lives because of Covid-19. No amount of gold medals can make up for the possible spread of the virus to eleven countries. 

Gold medals do not define sports heroes. Love for human life and ability to know what is best for humanity do.

ALL POC OFFICIALS MUST NOW RESIGN

When it was revealed that Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) endorsed Philippine National Volleyball Federation (PNVF) to FIVB when PNVF was not yet legally constituted, POC lost its credibility and moral ascendancy to act as a National Olympic Committee (NOC).

POC knew that PNVF was not yet registered with Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) last January 27, 2021. Yet, POC and the POC GA hurriedly accepted PNVF as POC member. Item 5 of the POC Membership Requirements stipulates that a federation must be registered with SEC before it can be accepted as a POC member. Worse, POC Secretary-General Atty. Edwin Gastanes wrote a letter of endorsement to FIVB Director General Fabio Azevedo for PNVF. Clearly. Atty. Gastanes knowingly endorsed an entity that he knew was not eligible for membership to FIVB right at the very start. But the POC Secretary-General obviously could not care for rules. Articles 2.2.1 and 2.2.5 of the FIVB Constitution requires National Federations to be legally constituted.

There is simply no excuse for what POC did for PNVF at the expense of PVF. Thus, the only thing left for POC officials to do is to resign. After all, what they did is a national and international embarrassment. Resignation is the only way they can salvage whatever is left of their their pride and honor.