THE Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) will start preparing facilities and other infrastructure needed to host 16 sports in the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) the Philippines is hosting from November 30 to December 11 this year.
Ramon Agregado, SBMA senior deputy administrator for Support Services, said on Friday the SBMA will start upgrading existing facilities to conform with world-class standards, with the Remy Field as Subic’s centerpiece infrastructure development project for the Games.
He said the present six-lane track will be turned into nine lanes and will be complemented by three practice lanes—as well as shower and dressing rooms, and a new and bigger grandstand.
Three other sports venues are scheduled for rehabilitation. These are the Subic Gymnasium, SBMA Tennis Court and Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center, he said.
Agregado said the national government has set aside P170 million for the construction and upgrade of facilities, although he said the SBMA was expecting twice that amount for all the required development.
Earlier, the national government cut the SEA Games budget from P7.5 billion to P5 billion, but Agregado said the SBMA is “still hoping the budget for Subic will be increased.”
The Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee has assigned 16 sports at the Freeport—duathlon, triathlon, pencak silat, sepak takraw, chess, table tennis, muay, karatedo, obstacle sports, modern pentathlon, beach volleyball, beach handball, weightlifting and water sports sailing, wind surfing and traditional boat race.
“We will be hosting 16 sports, and we are lucky because we will have a lot of medal events like triathlon and weightlifting, as well as spectator-friendly sports, so Subic’s hosting will really be exciting,” Agregado said.
He noted that the Philippines won two gold and two silver medals in triathlon for both men and women divisions in the 2017 SEA Games held in Malaysia, while Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz snatched a gold medal in the 2018 Asian Games and took home silver from the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
“After hosting this year’s SEA Games, our next target will be the Asian Games. We will try to level up,” he said.
Subic also played venue to several sports when the Philippines hosted the Games in 2005.
Besides Subic, the other Games hubs are the New Clark City, Metro Manila, Batangas, La Union and Tagaytay City. A total of 56 sports and 523 events are on the Games program.