After the 2018 Asian Games closed its curtains, Department of Foreign Affairs secretary Allan Peter Cayetano made a bold and ambitious declaration: The Philippines is making a bid to host the 2030 Asian Games.
“Finally, we will have a new world-class athletic coliseum (and) stadium. We will have an aquatics stadium,” Cayetano disclosed.
“In fact, we want to vie, we want to bid for the 2030 Asian Games.”
No other than Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee chairman Erick Thohir is making the push to make this a possibility.
Currently, everything is going as scheduled in the building of facilities in New Clark City for the 2019 Southeast Asian Games. After the regional meet, Cayetano is aiming to further expand the facility until 2030.
However, sports patron and Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas chairman-emeritus Manny V. Pangilinan warned that the task of hosting the continental meet will require huge responsibility from every sector.
“Do you think we should bid for 2030 Asian Games?
“Actually, si Tohir suggested to us na why don’t you look at 2030 na? And then he will help us witht the Asian Games,” said Pangilinan.
“Napagusapan na namin ni Ricky [Vargas]. Sabi ko lang kay Ricky, it’s a big commitment. It’s a country commitment, not just the POC.
“So we have to talk to the government for the facilities to be built. Now, the Southeast Asian Games is a smaller event compared to the Asian Games. So long as the government says na it’s okay, we’ll do it. Kasi iba na gobyerno by 2030, but still the commitment has to be made now,” the amiable executive closed.
