2025 SEA GAMES: EMERGENCY SOP ISSUED TO HELP ATHLETES DEAL WITH DISASTERS

SEPANG, Nov 27 (Bernama) -- The National Sports Council (MSN) and the Olympic Council of Malaysia (MOM) have implemented an emergency standard operating procedure (SOP) to assist national contingent members in handling unexpected situations, including disasters, at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand, scheduled to take place from Dec 9 to 20.

MSN Director-General Jefri Ngadirin said the decision was made during an emergency meeting between MSN and MOM to assess the current situation in Thailand, including flooding at the Songkhla SEA Games venues.

"At the MSN and MOM levels, we have issued an emergency SOP guideline for all parties to review and refer to should any incident occur during the SEA Games.

"We have also included contact numbers for internal and external secretariats, embassies, and security agencies to enable team managers, coaches, and athletes to contact the relevant authorities directly," he told reporters after welcoming the national Deaflympics Tokyo 2025 contingent at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport here today.

Also present were the wife of the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail, and Deputy Youth and Sports Minister, Adam Adli Abd Halim.

Jefri was commenting on Thai media reports yesterday that all Songkhla 2025 SEA Games events will be shifted to Bangkok following floods and concerns about the condition of venues in the province once the floodwater recedes.

The relocation decision was reportedly reached during a meeting involving the Chairman of the 33rd SEA Games Committee, Chaiyapak Siriwat; Thailand's Tourism Minister, Atthakorn Sirilatthayakorn; and representatives of participating countries.

The Thai media reported that the official announcement on the matter is expected tomorrow.

Ten sports were scheduled to be held in Songkhla, offering 109 gold medals, comprising boxing, silat, football, chess, judo, kabaddi, karate, wrestling, petanque, and wushu.

Jefri said the meeting with MOM also decided that Malaysian athletes initially scheduled to compete in Songkhla would travel by air if the host nation relocates the affected sports to Bangkok.

Last week, it was reported that MSN had opted for land transportation for athletes competing in Songkhla due to the province's proximity to the Malaysian border.

Meanwhile, Jefri said MSN had activated its external secretariat to ensure transportation and support services in Bangkok would not be disrupted by the increased number of sports being shifted to the Thai capital.

-- BERNAMA