Philippine ASEAN Para Games Organizing Committee (PHILAPGOC) president Mike Barredo said the PSC needed to cut and reallocate its budget to help the Filipino government cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

“Although it is saddening for athletes, who have done so much for their countries [in preparing for the event], their safety, along with the coaches and the teams, remains to be our priority,” Barredo said in an official statement reported by Antara on Tuesday.

While there has been no official announcement so far, rumors of the biannual multisport event’s postponement inched closer to reality after the PSC announced a policy to postpone all sporting events in the Philippines until December.

“We will communicate with the ASEAN Para Sports Federation [APSF] regarding the current situation so that it could decide the fate of [this year’s] APG,” Barredo said.

Read also: Indonesia switches focus to Tokyo Olympics after ASEAN Para Games postponed due to coronavirus

Indonesia's National Paralympics Committee (NPC) chief, Senny Marbun, said on Tuesday that he had yet to receive confirmation from PHILAPGOC regarding the matter, but he had expected such a possibility.

“There has not been [an official announcement], but the rumor has been intense. The PHILAPGOC president has told Indonesia’s NPC about the possibility [of a postponement],” Senny said on Tuesday.

The 2020 ASEAN Para Games has been postponed twice. The event was initially scheduled to be held earlier this year but was delayed to March due to a lack of logistics in host country Philippines.

In February, the 2020 APG was postponed again due to the COVID-19 outbreak, which had started to spread in the region.

The Philippines later confirmed a new schedule — in October — following a coordination meeting with Southeast Asian NPCs. (asp)