AIMAG cancellation frustrating, but athletes remain on their toes -POC

MANILA – The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) on Monday announced the cancellation of the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) set this November in Bangkok and Chonburi.

"It's frustrating, but we'll have to move on," Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino said in a news release.

He said Filipino athletes have been training and focusing on the AIMAG which was postponed twice before being put off.

The Philippines was supposed to field 421 athletes who will compete in 37 of the 41 sports programmed by AIMAG organizers, who said the breakdown of sponsorship commitments due to the shift of government in Thailand.

"We were hoping to improve on the two gold medals Meggie [Ochoa] and Annie [Ramirez] won in jiu-jitsu as well as the 14 silver and 14 bronze medals clinched in the 2017 edition in Ashgabat [Turkmenistan]," Tolentino said.

"But there is no wasted time and effort as far as our athletes are concerned because they remain in top form and there are other international competitions that they could focus on," he said.

The OCA announcement was signed by acting president Raja Randhir Singh and sent to the POC early evening on Monday, after the deadline lapsed for Thailand to confirm its hosting commitment.

The games were supposed to be held November 21 to 30.

"As per the decision of the OCA Executive Board, the games are cancelled and the next edition of the Games will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the dates of which will be finalized shortly and sent to all concerned," the OCA said.

National Olympic Committee of Thailand vice president Dato Seri Chaiyapak Siriwat also wrote OCA members about the cancellation and expressed his profound disappointment.

"Cabinet reshuffles at the Ministry of Tourism and Sports, and changes in the government funding initially designated for the Organizing Committee, have undeniably impacted the preparations" he said. "It is very disappointing that the reasons for such a significant decision are not sufficient to warrant the discontinuation of our plans."

"I am deeply disheartened by the lack of commitment demonstrated by the relevant domestic stakeholders," he said.

The AIMAG is a unification of the continental indoor games – which were played in 2005 with Bangkok as inaugural host, 2007 and 2009 – and the martial arts games in 2009 also in Bangkok.

They were consolidated starting in 2017 in Incheon and 2017 in Ashgabat. (PNA)