Malaysia To Send 141-Member Contingent To Asian Indoor Games

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 (Bernama) -- Malaysia are expected to send a 141-member contingent for the 10-day Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi, Vietnam starting Oct 30.

Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) Honorary Secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi said the contingent would be made up of 73 men and 33 women athletes while the rest are officials.

"We will compete in eight of the 22 sports competed, namely petanque, sepak takraw hoop, kabbadi, silat, futsal, tenpin bowling, lion dance and dragon dance," he told Bernama when contacted on Wednesday.

The OCM has not set any target for the Games because sports competed in the Games were basically recreational sports while OCM's focus is on sports like SEA Games, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and the Olympics, said Kok Chi, adding that the expenses would be borne by the respective associations or in some cases, the National Sports Council (NSC).

"Sports associations that can effort may participate, but even then some sports will have their own focus and an idea of what games to participate.

"Like for example, the Malaysian National Cycling Federation's focus may be on the Olympics and different from the National Kabbadi Association's focus because the sport does not feature in many major games.

"So these types of sports will be eager to participate in such games. And for OCM, since there are more than 50 types of sports, some are recreational sports and we cannot focus on all the sports because the Olympics has only 26 sports," he said.

Meanwhile, commenting on news reports that venues for the 2010 Commonwealth Games to be hosted by New Delhi, India, Kok Chi said it was normal for host countries to face such situations due to various reasons, including financial.

"But I am confident India will be ready and the games will go on as scheduled," he said.

Indian media reports claimed that 13 of the 19 venues to be used for the Games were facing serious delays although the Games is just 14 months away.

-- BERNAMA

OCM To Determine Categories For SEA Games Bound Athletes

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) are expected to determine the categories of entry for the 600 national athletes competing in the Laos SEA Games.

According to OCM Honorary secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi, the OCM would determine the category of the respective athletes after meeting the respective National Sports Associations (NSA) and the National Sports Council (NSC) tomorrow.

Athletes who qualify on merit or meet the qualifying mark set by the OCM would be listed under Category A whereby their expenses would be borne by OCM while the cost of sending those under Category B (those who do not meet the qualifying mark or border-line cases), would be borne by their respective NSA.

However, if an athlete under Category B wins a medal, his or her expenses would be reimbursed by OCM.

In the Laos SEA Games scheduled from Dec 9-18, Malaysia are taking part in 20 of the 25 sports hosted, namely aquatics, archery, athletics, badminton, billiard & snooker, boxing, cycling, football, golf, judo, karate-do, pencak silat, petanque, sepak takraw, shooting, table tennis, tennis, volleyball, weightlifting and wushu.

Meanwhile, Sieh said OCM had also decided that all athletes who would be participating in the 3rd Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi from Oct 30 to Nov 8, would be placed under Category B.

"The NSAs had agreed to foot their expenses," he said.

He added that the decision was made considering the fact that the Games was not a major competitive event and did not meet the criteria set by OCM and NSC.

OCM has approved the participation of 100 athletes for the Games and compete in eight sports - Hoop Sepak takraw, Shuttle Cock juggling, Kabadi, Futsal, Basketball 3 on 3, Pencak Silat, Dragon Dance and Petanque, he said.

-- BERNAMA

Selection Meeting - 3rd Asian Indoor Games.

Selection of the Malaysian Contingents for the 3rd Asia Indoor Games and the 25th SEA Games – 28th and 29th July 2009 at OCM Boardroom, 1st Floor Wisma OCM, Kuala Lumpur, from 4.00 p.m.

10,000 walk for Indoor Games

More than 10,000 people participated in a walk in Ho Chi Minh City on March 29 to welcome the upcoming 3rd Asian Indoor Games (AIG) to be hosted by Vietnam this year for the first time.

Walkers wearing headbands and carrying the AIG flag paraded along a 2.5km route, from the Municipal Theatre to Dong Khoi, Ton Duc Thang, Nguyen Hue, Le Loi, Pasteur, Ly Tu Trong, then returned to the starting point.

Also on the occasion, Nguyen Thi Thu Ha, vice chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee, received the AIG flag from the Vietnam Olympic Committee and the AIG organising board, officially launching the Games campaign in the city.

Ho Chi Minh City is one of six selected localities to host AIG events. It has 11 venues to hold 8 events and 6 others reserved for training.

March to promote 3rd Asian Indoor Games

HCM City, March 30 (VNA) – A march for a successful Asian Indoor Games (AIGs) and the development of Asia was held in HCM City on March 29, attracting 10,000 people.

Walkers carrying bands and slogans to promote the upcoming third annual games, to be held in Vietnam from October 30-November 8, departed from and finished at the city’s Opera House, traversing a 2.5km route through the city.

Deputy Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Nguyen Thi Thu Ha received a flag symbolizing Vietnam ’s role in hosting the event from the Vietnam Olympic Committee, and officially launched a campaign to promote the competition.

HCM City is one of six localities in Vietnam selected to organise the games. (VNA)

Third Asian Indoor Games

Logo of the Games

The Logo is the logical, scientific and proper combination of the features, both strong and flexible, of the typical motifs of sports games in Vietnamlike the torch, the lotus and the symbol of the Olympic Council of Asia. The logo is the image of a torch created by flaming colorful petals, lighting up an ambiance, exciting and imposing, of a major sports event. The lotus, with the petals joined together like twisted hands, a symbol of solidarity, frendship and cooperation.

A flower with many colors also symbolizes the vigorous vitality and the records made by the athletes and participating sports delegations. The lotus is a symbol of beauty, the beauty of delicacy and simplicity, strongly imbued with the iddentity of Vietnamese culture. The logo of the Olympic Council of Asia is the image of a pistil, fresh and long lasting. It is also the red sunlight of victory and future-oriented development.

Mascot of the Games

The mascot of the 3rd Asian Indoor Games is the Ho Chicken, a distinctly Vietnamese rare breed of chicken. The Chicken is familiar with Vietnames people. According to folklore, the chicken, particularly the rooster, has the five qualities of a man of honor: literary, martial arts, physical strength, humanity and loyalty

The image of a Ho chicken rising himself to welcome the sun is like Vietnam’s sports industry’s readiness to welcome Asian sport.

Opening date:
30 October 2009

Closing date:
08 November 2009

Country of the host city:
Vietnam (VIE)

The 3rd Asian Indoor Games (AIG) will be held for the first time in Vietnam in the fall of 2009. This is a great sporting event, held exclusively by Asian countries for those sports that have not yet to get a chance to join continental and world arenas. The 3rd Asian Indoor Games will be held under the direct leadership of the Government with the participation of key sectors and mayors of Ha Noi, Ho Chi Minn City, Quang Ninh, Hai Phong, Hai Duong, Bac Ninh. The 3rd Asian Indoor Games is expected to have 23 sports: indoor athletics, Pencak Silat, 25m -swimming, 50m- fin swimming, Dance Sport, sepak takraw, chess and Chiness, billiards & snooker, Sport Aerobics, futsal, Bowling, Muay, vovinam, indoor petanque, indoor archery,kurash, kabadi, 3 on 3 basketball, woment defence ( women boxing and wushu) and 1 demonstration sport : Jujitsu and belt wrestling ... The AIG is an indoor sporting event held every two years and has become a playground well known in the continent and the world. Vietnam's success in hosting the 22nd SEA Games, the APEC Summit, the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM Summit) and many other international activities has left positive impressions on friends around the world, in general, and in Asia, in particular. It is a vision of a Vietnam of peace, friendliness and hospitality with sports lovers. Welcome to our country in 2009, a beautiful country on the East Sea, to participate in the biggest indoor sporting event of the continent, the Asian Indoor Games 2009 to be held in Hanoi, a city of peace and some other cities and province.

Malaysian Tigers @ Macau 2007