Having learned a lot from the 2020 Tokyo Olympics’ experience, organizers of the 2021 Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games appear more confident holding the event without further delay on March 10 to 20, 2022 in Thailand’s two major cities of Bangkok and Chonburi.
In a document obtained by the Manila Standard, the first online zoom meeting among Chef de Missions from member countries of the Olympic Council of Asia, will be held on Sept. 15.
Included in the agenda are the aspects of the games like competition and venues, accreditation, accommodation, transportation, volunteer, protocols in arrival and departure, opening and closing ceremonies, sports and technical, security, finance, and COVID-19 measures.
A Philippine official, who was in the Tokyo Olympics as part of the Team Philippines, said it is most likely that the protocols to be used in Bangkok are primarily the same as what was implemented in the last Summer Games held last July 23 to August 8 in the capital city of Japan.
“Teams (per sport) should arrive at least two days before and are free to leave a day after. I think the NOC will arrange a different date for different teams,” the official said.
In the Tokyo Games, all participants were required to have COVID-19 testing before flying in, but not after filling up details about their daily schedules and destinations and submitting them on a daily basis for approval. COVID-19 tests were also conducted daily.
The 2021 Asian Indoor Martial Arts Games Organizing Committee (AIMAGOC) of Bangkok has already started sending letters to various member NOCs, the last one indicating the Nov. 10 date as the last day of submission of entry by number. That means all National sports Associations are required to submit the final number of participating athletes.
The AIMAG 2021 was postponed to be held in March next year from the original date of May 21-30, 2021. Just like the Tokyo 2020, OCA has no intention of changing the year in the main tag and logo.
Thirty sports, including two demonstration events, were lined up in the event’s program, with the Philippines bringing home two gold, 14 silver and 14 bronze medals in the 2017 edition held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
Richard Lim, president of Karate Pilipinas, was designated the country’s Chief of Mission to the AIMAG 2021.
The Philippine Sports Commission has initially given the NSAs to begin their bubble-type training starting in August but the sudden surge of the COVID-19 delta variant in the country has put the plan on hold.
The Philippines and other countries in Southeast Asia are also waiting for the final decision of Vietnam as to the new 2022 date of the 2021 Southeast Asian Games, which was supposed to be held in December this year.
