Indonesia To Host 37 Sports In 2011 SEA Games

VIENTIANE, Dec 7 (Bernama) -- The next host of the SEA Games in 2011, Indonesia, have proposed to stage 37 sports, including two extreme sports.

Malaysia's representative in the SEA Games Federation (SGF) executive meeting Datuk Sieh Kok Chi told Bernama that Indonesia would drop petanque, fin swimming, muay thai and shuttlecock juggling from the programme.

"The two new sports included are wall climbing and roller-skating," said Kok Chi here Monday.

Among sports proposed by Indonesia are badminton, weightlifting, aquatics, football, archery, shooting, silat, taekwondo, athletics, squash, hockey, billiard & snooker, boxing, volleyball, basketball, golf, judo, sepak takraw, table tennis, wushu, cycling.

Among sports not contested in Vientiane but included in Indonesia are tenpin bowling, equestrian, gymnastics, fencing, chess, traditional boats, kayaking, rowing, sailing, soft ball and baseball.

Indonesia have also for the first time in the history of the SEA Games, proposed to include Kempo, a type of combat sport similar to fencing but using bamboo make weapons, a sport popular in Japan.

The 2011 host have also added powerlifting to the programme of normal athletes although the sport is normally featured in Paralympic sports.

Kok Chi added that Singapore had withdrawn from hosting the 2013 SEA Games and Vietnam had offered to host the Games.

According to SGF's allocation of the host job to countries, Singapore were given the opportunity to host the 2013 SEA Games and followed by Cambodia (2015), Myanmar, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam respectively.

-- BERNAMA