Final preparations underway as 31st SEA Games opening nears

HANOI: The Organising Committee of the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam is currently working hard to complete all preparations ahead of the biennial games which will officially raise its curtains next Thursday.

The 31st SEA Games which will be held from May 12 to 23 here, will however see several events including football and diving competitions begin much earlier.

With less than a week left before the opening ceremony, several improvement works as well as infrastructure beautification are still going on at several venues.

A check by Bernama found that beautification work are still in progress at the Main Press Centre (MPC) located at the Vietnam International Convention Centre here, as workers were seen cleaning the area and installing the necessary equipment.

However, the MPC, which could accommodate over 100 media personnel at a time, was seen to have been properly organised and hundreds of laptops have been prepared to facilitate the media during the SEA Games.

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Also available at the MPC is a relaxing corner for media personnel to unwind after a busy day in the field and usually there will be free-flow of food and drinks here.

Meanwhile, a check by Bernama at the My Dinh Aquatic Centre here, found preparation around the venue at a satisfactory level with work on the facility still underway ahead of the diving event this Sunday.

It was somewhat relieving to see the swimming pool and diving pool located separately but in the same building, and both pools have been equipped with new equipment, all set to be the best diving battlefield in the Southeast Asian region.

However efforts to check out the My Dinh National Stadium here which will the venue for the official opening of the football and athletics events were hampered as the guards on duty stopped us from entering the stadium.

In fact, Bernama photographer was also not allowed to take photographs of the stadium which could accommodate over 40,000 spectators at any one time.

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Meanwhile, further checks saw that promotional materials related to the 31st SEA Games are lacking as billboards were not installed on the main roads leading to Hanoi but could only be seen around the competition venue areas.

This is the second time Vietnam is hosting the SEA Games after the first was held in 2003.

The Malaysian contingent to the 31st SEA Games comprises 584 athletes who will be competing in 37 sports involving 338 events, out of a total 40 sports comprising 526 events.

-- BERNAMA