Burma hopeful of hosting 2013 SEA Games

Tuesday, 09 March 2010 12:40 Myo Thein

Rangoon (Mizzima) – Burma is hopeful of hosting the 2013 South East Asian (SEA) Games, Chairman of the Myanmar Football Federation (MFF) Zaw Zaw said at a press briefing on Saturday after receiving word from Brigadier General Thura Aye Myint, Burma’s Minister for Sports.

“The sports minister during a meeting on Saturday confirmed that Burma will host the 2013 SEA Games,” Zaw Zaw said.

At the meeting, the sports minister confirmed plans to host the 2013 SEA Games and also said there will be 373 sporting events, according to the Chairman of Myanmar Wushu Federation, Dr. Sai Sam Tun.

“The meeting decided that there would be 373 sporting events. In Wushu alone there will be 28 events. Though we still do not know how many medals Burma is looking at but in Wushu alone we are hoping to make a mark in at least half of the events,” said Sai Sam Tun, who is also Chairman of Loi Heng Company.

Burma proposed hosting the 2013 SEA Games during the 2009 SEA Games in Lao at a meeting in December by the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN). The games are scheduled to be held in May 2013.

Singapore, which was a contender for hosting the 2013 Games, communicated in January that it wanted to pull out from the race because of delays in the construction of a new sports hub, and would prefer to host the event in 2015.

At the press meet, Zaw Zaw apologised for the national football team’s failure to win the football championship in the SEA Games 2009 in Laos.

“After turning Burmese football into a professional Myanmar National League, we along with fans hope to achieve something in soccer. But I apologise for returning home at the group stage,” Zaw Zaw told reporters.

“We hope we can do it in the 2013 SEA Games. We still have four years ahead of us to try,” he added.

While the MFF currently has no plans to hire a foreign coach, Zaw Zaw said a foreign systems director will be in place by May.