Getting organized

Two years may seem like an eternity for most people, but it is just a heartbeat when organizing large international events. So much coordination, organization, matching of schedules, acquisition and general preparation must take place beforehand. Everyone involved must be apprised of travel dates, practice schedules, game times, where to stay, eat, get supplies and medication when needed. All pertinent resources and personnel must be allocated in the amount, number and times needed. Transport to and from everywhere must be coordinated or provided. In a way, it is creating something out of nothing, as it were. That is the challenge facing the Philippines in hosting the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

First things first. When will the SEA Games be held, and on what exact dates? Generally, international multi-sport events take place during the international summer, when the general public has more flexibility to patronize the games. And speaking of games, which games will be played, and at what scale? In 2005, there were no basketball competitions in the SEA Games because of that SBP vs. BAP brouhaha. Obviously, everything will be done to ensure victory, especially for the women’s team. But will there be three-on-three games, as well? Since it is already part of the Olympic calendar and the country has been doing well internationally, it seems logical. The biggest perk of hosting is dictating the total number of gold medals to be staked. It is also understood that it may be used as a large-scale tool to stick it to the other countries, as Malaysia’s organizing committee so expertly demonstrated. The question is if the Philippines will have the intent to do the same.

Naturally, the country will lean on sports it is most adept at. There will be a full slate of boxing – men’s and women’s – with as many weight classes as the hosts can win. Billiards will likely make a comeback. Will there be 8-ball, 9-ball, 10-ball, rotation events? Will there be the same number of women’s categories as the men? Will snooker be added? How big will the bowling tournament be? Will new sports like tackle football be included since the Philippines is a pioneer in Southeast Asia? What about cheerleading and dancesport? Will dancesport stake the traditional two gold medals (Latin and Standard), or split the medals into 10, with one for each dance? What about windsurfing, wakeboarding and other aquatic sports that have had world championships in the Philippines? Can motocross be added, considering it is technically a professional sport? The country is also big on bodybuilding, annually hosting two Asian-level events, and the World Bodybuilding Championships in 2018. Another new sport, tchoukball, would make a great addition. In Southeast Asia, only Singapore would be tough to beat.

There are other ticklish questions, as well. Beach sports have been legitimate events in the SEA Games. But which sports’ beach variants will be considered? There are beach versions of volleyball, football, badminton, bodybuilding, frisbee, water polo, running, tchoukball and others. Which of them would make the cut? For certain, the host country will not be lacking in venues.

And while we’re on the subject, how spread out will the games be? The initial retreat was predicated on the fact that Davao City would be one of the venues. Will Mindanao still be involved? If not, where would everything be? The choice of venues would impact arrivals and departures, hotels, media exposure, and even attendance to the opening and closing ceremonies. In 2011, when this writer attended the Indonesia SEA Games as an official, the women’s basketball team decided to skip the opening after they were belatedly informed that they would play the first game the next morning. It turned out to be a good choice, as the rest of us ended up standing in cold evening rain for close to two hours. Many of our officials caught colds because they paraded in formal barong tagalogs.

Many sports only need an air-conditioned indoor venue. Since most events only take a few days, they can share venues. In the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, the 70,000-seat Georgia Dome was split down the middle and divided between basketball and gymnastics. Does the country have any venues like that? The Philippines has convention centers, ballrooms, meeting halls and large covered areas which may be converted to temporary venues. And of course, there is an abundance of basketball arenas in every major city. That covers basketball, boxing, table tennis, martial arts, gymnastics, volleyball, sepak takraw, dancesport, and many others. Athletics holds most of its events in one place, save for marathons and triathlons. Swimming, the next biggest sport, likewise needs only one pool or two. Water polo can share the venue. This will merely add a challenge to event coordinators.

Once the events are laid down, everything around the events must be fixed around them. First, ticketing, special guest boxes for SEA Games and federation officials, media accreditation. Who will and will not be given free access to events? Certain media, such as reporters and commentators, get all-access passes since they don’t know what they will be covering from day to day. Television engineering crews will have more restricted passes. This brings up the international media center. Ideally, it should be close to the main playing venue. Smaller satellite media centers must be at or near venues out of town. Also, access to athletes and officials must be made easy. Real-time statistics for broadcast commentators should also be standardized. Liaisons who speak the various ASEAN languages must also be deployed to each venue. Venues for worship or at least, prayer rooms, for different faiths must also be accessible. 

Where will the athletes’ village be located? In some cases, cruise ships anchored nearby have served as secure alternatives. Food compatible with the diets in 11 countries (and their hybrid and naturalized players) may be served individually or made available in dining areas. The volume of food we’re talking about is monstrous.

Next, we have to consider traffic, security, merchandising and so on. In the Olympics, areas with high traffic density are closed to transportation except for accredited vehicles and volunteer drivers. How will security, catering, transport and other services be bid out? More importantly, who will be appointed in charge?

For those two weeks or so, everything will give way to the SEA Games; they have to. Airports, main roads, emergency vehicles and the like will prioritize those involved. Then, the world famous Filipino warmth and hospitality can take over, and win the day.