33 sports to be included in 2013 SEA Games

Published on Friday, 01 February 2013 21:16

Wannatheikdi Sports Ground, Nay Pyi Taw (Photo-Ko Ko Soe Nyunt)

Myanmar has decided to nominate 33 sports in 27th SEA Games, including badminton, table tennis and hockey after criticism from Southeast Asia sports community for excluding them from the initial lineups.

The decision was reached at the recent SEA Games Federation meeting in Nay Pyi Taw in January 29. The 33 sports are athletics, aquatics, archery, badminton, basketball, billiard and snooker, boxing, canoeing, cycling, football, golf, hockey, judo, karate, rowing, yachting, sepak takraw, shooting, table tennis, taekwondo, volleyball, weightlifting, wushu, tennis, chess, bodybuilding, petanque, kempo and traditional boat race and tennis and gymnastics are excluded from the list.

The one called chinlone, a traditional Burmese game that mixes dancelike acrobatic movements with what might be described as soccer juggling skill, will be included for the first time at SEA games. Certain sports such as beach volleyball and water polo deemed too risqué for Myanmar culture has been omitted from the draft.

Myanmar targeted to sweep between 50 gold medals and 100 gold medals at most. The competition will be held at Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon, Mandalay and Ngwe Saung Beach from 11 December to 22 December 2013.