MANILA – The Asean Para Sports Federation (APSF) called off for good the 10th Asean Para Games (APG) as host country Philippines is still reeling from the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
In a statement on Monday, APSF president Osoth Bhavilai officially announced the cancellation of the Para Games, which has been postponed twice due to Covid-19.
"In light of the decision of the Philippines Sports Commission (PSC) from the Republic of [the] Philippines, regretfully, I would like to state that the 10th Asean Para Games would be canceled officially," Bhavilai stated.
He was referring to the PSC's decision to withdraw further financial support for the APG hosting.
“We heed the call of the national government to cut expenses as we reroute majority of our resources to fighting the pandemic, but we also stand by our commitment to keep supporting members of the national team,” said Butch Ramirez in a statement on April 29, adding that the PSC will still pay initial operations expenses for the said hosting.
Despite the cancellation, Bhavilai said APSF is respecting the PSC's decision to shift its focus to helping control Covid-19 in the Philippines.
"We [at] APSF would like to thank the Philippines for all efforts taken prior to the games for the preparation. We appreciate why such decision need to be made," he continued.
As of 4 p.m. Monday, the Philippines has 11,086 confirmed Covid-19 cases with 1,999 recoveries and 726 deaths.
Vietnam, which has already controlled the spread of Covid-19, will be hosting the next APG next year. (PNA)
