THE Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (Aimag), supposedly hosted by Thailand, was postponed for the fifth time.
Organizers decided to move the event to another date because of its proximity to the forthcoming 2023 Paris Summer Olympic Games set for July 26 to August 11 next year.
It was already postponed twice because of the pandemic and was scheduled in November this year, but political uncertainty in Thailand forced the host country to move the sixth edition to February 2024. The Aimag was last held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, in 2017.
Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) president Raja Randhir Sing said that all 45 member countries agreed to the decision, saying everybody in the continent is busy preparing for the Olympic Games. He said they would just announce the new date after the Olympiad.
For his part, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino favored the postponement, saying the Filipino athletes are focused on the Olympiad and participation in several Olympic qualifying competitions.
“It’s good for us, too, so we can concentrate on other Olympic qualifying events,” Tolentino said.
Four Filipino athletes, led by pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, have qualified for the Paris Games, including Eumir Felix Marcial and gymnasts Carlos Yulo and Aleah Finnegan.
Some 50 sports disciplines, including nine Olympic events in 297 medal events will be contested in Aimag which is held every four years.
Among the sports contested are aquatics, archery, athletics, badminton, basketball, bowling, boxing, chess, billiards, artistic cycling, BMX freestyle, futsal, gymnastics, hockey, inline skating, judo, ju-jitsu, kabaddi and karate. PR