KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 10 (Bernama) -- The Laos SEA Games organising committee has rejected the Olympic Council of Malaysia's (OCM) appeal to include women's 3,000m steeplechase in the athletics programme for the SEA Games in December.
OCM Honorary secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi said OCM had made the recommendation to the Laos SEA Games organising committee even before the Malaysian Amateur Athletic Union (MAAU) made their appeal on July 24.
"But because the women's 3,000m steeplechase is still new and never been included in the athletics programme of the SEA Games, such an appeal for its inclusion will require at least a year and not at this late stage," he told Bernama here on Thursday.
OCM had also made an appeal to the SEA Games Federation (SGF) but the appeal was shot down because Laos were not interested in staging the event, added Kok Chi.
A local daily had reported that the MAAU was were still waiting for an answer from the OCM in relation to the appeal for the inclusion of the event.
"Furthermore, athletes will require at least a year to prepare for the event and will not be able to do so in a few months," he said.
He added that the willingness of other countries to send their athletes for the event should also be taken into consideration when making such an appeal as sports and events included are based on acceptance by the host and participating countries.
"It will be different if we are the host but even then, to include an event in the last minute cannot go ahead if less than three countries decide to participate," he said.
Kok Chi added that OCM would again make an appeal to SGF when Indonesia host the 2011 SEA Games.
-- BERNAMA
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