AIMAG 6 cancelled because the budget was not channelled on time

Việt Nam’s sports delegation at the 19th Asian Games last September in China. — Photo vov.vn

HÀ NỘI — The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has confirmed that the sixth Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG 6) has been officially cancelled because of Thailand’s missing the deadlines for hosting conditions.

The Games, where first scheduled in 2021, have been postponed for several times due to different reasons including the COVID-19 pandemic, before it was fixed on November 21-30 in Bangkok and Chonburi Province.

However, the Sports Authority of Thailand (SAT) Governor, Gongsak Yodmani, told the media that the government’s sport controlling arm had received an “urgent” email from the OCA stating that the multisport event had been cancelled on August 19.

The OCA email arrived at a time when SAT was having a meeting to discuss the budget for the competition at its headquarters in Hua Mark.

A report published on the OCA website said that “the organising committee was unable to satisfy the criteria requested in the Host City Contract by the latest deadline of Monday, August 19, 2024”.

The report added that decision was taken following the progress report presented to the 43rd OCA General Assembly in Bangkok, on May 11 by the AIMAG Organising Committee, which promised that all requirements would be ready by July 2024.

It was unanimously agreed during the OCA Executive Board Emergency Meeting on August 15, to cancel the event unless the organisers satisfied nine conditions needed to guarantee the hosting of the Games by the evening of August 19 (Bangkok time).

A poster about the AIMAG 6 which was planned on November 21-30 in Bangkok and Chonburi Province. File Photo

In addition to Thailand’s non-availability of funds to stage the Games, there was not enough time to find another host country to replace Thailand.

“The OCA had no choice but to cancel the event,” the report said.

The AIMAG 6 cancellation strongly impacts Việt Nam’s competition plans for the remainder of 2024.

The Thailand games were considered the key event of the year for many teams, such as men’s and women’s futsal and 3×3 basketball, who have spent months practising for them.

About 300 competitors of 27 sports were set to compete in Thailand this winter.

Now, all will be dismissed and the Sports Authority of Việt Nam, federations and coaching boards will have to make other plans.

The AIMAG is a pancontinental multi-sport event held indoor every four years among Asian athletes by OCA and consists of indoor and martial arts events.

The event is a merger of two formerly separate OCA-sanctioned events – the Asian Indoor Games (AIG) and the Asian Martial Arts Games (AMAG), both first held in Bangkok, in 2005 and 2009, respectively.

The present-day event began in 2013 in Incheon, South Korea and it is considered the second largest Asian multi-sport event after the Asian Games.

In the latest Games in 2017, Việt Nam secured 13 golds, eight silvers and 19 bronzes to place ninth in the medal tally. — VNS