The FilOil Flying V Centre, which is hosting NCAA and UAAP games as well as San Juan's home games in the MPBL, is set to be the venue for the basketball event in the SEA Games. Jade Moya (file photo) |
By Ivan Saldajeno
MANILA—Eight months before the start of the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, sudden venue changes were made.
Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee executive director Tats Suzara confirmed on Thursday that three events will have different battlegrounds from the original plan.
"Basketball will now be at the FilOil Arena, and then gymnastics will be at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum," Suzara first bared the changes for basketball and gymnastics.
Originally, the basketball event is slated at the Mall of Asia Arena, while gymnastics is supposed to take place at the nearby SMX Convention Center in Pasay.
"Ang mga booking nila, eh matagal ang confirmation," Suzara shared what made it tough to reserve the two aforementioned venues as well as the other topnotch arenas in Metro Manila like the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City.
On the other hand, he said that PHISGOC is still looking for a new place for the inaugural SEAG eSports event.
"We were supposed to have the venue at Marriott [Hotel] in Pasay, but apparently, the proposal Marriott gave us is impossible. Medyo china-charge nang napakamahal. Alam mo naman na limited ang budget natin," Suzara explained.
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