MANILA, March 14 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee (Phisgoc) has decided to move basketball competitions from the Mall of Asia (MoA) Arena to the Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan, Metro Manila.
Phisgoc executive director Ramon Suzara confirmed on Thursday that the difficulty of booking the MoA Arena, which is privately owned by a local commercial group, prompted the switch.
"It is hard to book the arena during the SEA Games. We have a backup plan and we were able to find a solution. So now, basketball will now be in Filoil," Suzara said in a radio interview.
"We did our best to reserve MoA Arena but we were just given a number of days to use it. The problem is that basketball will be played for one full week so we cannot hold the games there and transfer to another venue," Suzara explained.
The Filoil Flying V Centre in San Juan in Metro Manila, which has a mere seating capacity of 5,500, has been tabbed as the home of basketball during the November 30 to December 11 SEA Games.
In contrast, the MoA Arena in Pasay, Metro Manila has a seating capacity of 15,000 for sporting events, and a full house capacity of 20,000.
The country's basketball governing body Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) expressed the disappointment over the choice of the Filoil Centre as the venue with SBP Executive Director Sonny Barrios complaining that the country's premier spectator sport has to be played at a second-rate venue.
"I just hope that the Phisgoc will find a way (to remedy this matter)," Barrios said.
The Philippines have won 17 of the 19 men's basketball events since the first SEA Games in 1959, except in 1979 and 1989 when Malaysia won.
According to Suzara, basketball isn't the only sport that has changed venues. Volleyball, originally slated to be held at the Smart-Araneta Coliseum, has been moved to the PhilSports Arena in Pasig City in Metro Manila, a venue owned by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
Gymnastics has also been moved to the PSC-owned Rizal Memorial Coliseum from the private-owned SMX Convention Center.
This is the fourth time the biennial multi-sport event comes to the Philippines, which hosted the Games in 1981, 1991, and 2005.
