SEA Games 31 may be delayed to 2022

According to the current plan, SEA Games 31 is set to commence in November 2021.

But at an online conference of the SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) on Thursday, involved parties raised concerns about complicated developments of Covid-19 in countries in the region including Vietnam. If the event moves its date from November 2021 to next year, SEAGF members suggested that it should take place around April or May.

There are several big sports events in 2022 like the Winter Olympic Games China in February, the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games Thailand in March, the Commonwealth Games England in July and the Asian Games China in September.

The countries in the region hope that Vietnam will soon decide on the organizing plan for SEA Games 31. If the event is moved to 2022, they will pause on gathering the national teams.

The official plan to host SEA Games 31 is set to be announced at the next SEAGF conference on July 8.

At SEA Games 30 in 2019, Vietnam ranked second overall with 98 gold medals including the historic gold for men's football, after the host Philippines.