MANILA — The Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG), rescheduled for February next year, has been postponed once again, this time due to its proximity to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Originally slated for this month, the 50-sport competition, held every four years, is now rescheduled for February 24 to March 6, 2024, after host Thailand decided to delay.
The consensus among member national Olympic committees (NOCs) of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and Oceania led to the decision to postpone the games.
The primary reason cited was that athletes needed time to prepare for both the Paris Games qualifiers and the Olympics themselves.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino supported the postponement, emphasizing that it would alleviate the pressure on the country’s Olympic hopefuls.
“It’s good for us, too, so we can concentrate on other qualifying events,” Tolentino remarked.
Currently, the Philippines has three athletes qualified for Paris – boxer Eumir Felix Marcial and gymnasts Carlos Yulo and Aleah Finnegan.
OCA acting president Raja Randhir Sing communicated the postponement in a letter sent to the 45 OCA members and 18 Oceania countries on Friday.
The new dates for AIMAG will be announced by the OCA after the conclusion of the Paris Olympics, scheduled for July 26 to August 11.
The AIMAG, featuring 50 sports, including nine Olympic events, was last held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, in 2017.
(I. Amigo/mnm)