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Sea Games: Typhoon ‘manageable’, says Team Indonesia
Hold my umbrella: A Southeast Asian (SEA) Games organizer tries to fix her umbrella during heavy rain and strong winds from Typhoon Kammuri at the World Trade Center, Manila, on Tuesday
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old my umbrella: A Southeast Asian (SEA) Games organizer tries to fix her umbrella during heavy rain and strong winds from Typhoon Kammuri at the World Trade Center, Manila, on Tuesday. Several sports events were postponed because of extreme weather. (Antara/Nyoman Budhiana)
Typhoon Kammuri, which has been making its way through the Philippines over the past couple of days, has not significantly impacted Team Indonesia during the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, officials have said.
In the capital Manila, the typhoon came in the form of heavy rain and strong wind.
The extreme weather forced the Games’ organizers to postpone several events in Metro Manila and Subic — two of the three main regions hosting the Games besides Clark. The delay means an extended stay for several athletes.
Indonesia’s chef de mission Harry Warganegara said the effects of the delay resulted in extra costs in additional daily allowances and rebooked flights.
“There has been a spike in the use of our [operational] fund [for the Games], but it is unavoidable, given the force majeure. We have seen some match cancellations and, as a result, a tighter schedule. But overall, it is still manageable,” he told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.
Two-time 2019 SEA Games wushu gold medalist Edgar Xavier Marvelo, who is grieving the recent passing of his father, was among the athletes affected by the typhoon. He could not fly back home on Tuesday as planned due to the typhoon.
As for accommodation, Harry said the organizers had helped the team to look for extra rooms.
He said the impact of the natural disaster, known locally as Typhoon Tisoy, was felt most by athletes competing in outdoor sports, as heavy rain forced outdoor competitions to reschedule.
Athletes from sports such as canoeing, rowing, kayak and dragon boat had to deal with the fact that their training venue was moved to a swimming pool.
Typhoon Kammuri entered Philippines territory on Saturday morning before taking landfall on Monday afternoon.
Indonesia rowing team manager Budiman Setiawan said the typhoon did not threaten his squad, which was competing in Subic.
“The storm in this area [on Tuesday] was at alert level 1, which means the level of danger was at its lowest,” he told the Post on Wednesday.
He recounted how the Games’ organizers instructed all competing teams to pull their boats out of the water on Tuesday despite relatively calm weather.
“At one point [the weather] scared us because it felt like something was wrong, but it was actually pretty much OK,” Budi said.
Nevertheless, Indonesian Rowing and Paddling Association (PODSI) deputy chairman Budiman said he would remain alert given the unpredictable weather.
“If we see that there is a big wave coming, we will go directly to the shore and not hold any practices,” he said.
The rowing competition was rescheduled to Dec. 6 and 7.
Indonesia’s canoe team returned to regular practice on Wednesday morning. The day before, its canoe and kayak team practiced at a hotel swimming pool as the sea was closed to the public.
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