BANGKOK: The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has cancelled the 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, due to be hosted in Bangkok and Chonburi from Nov 21-30.
In a statement published on its website, the OCA cited the Thai Organising Committee's failure to meet hosting requirements by the final deadline of 5pm (Thailand time) on Monday (Aug 19) as the reason for the cancellation.
The Games had been postponed several times due to the Covid pandemic and last year’s change of government in Thailand.
The Thai Organising Committee had promised on May 11 in a progress report to the 43rd OCA General Assembly in Bangkok that all competition arrangements would be completed by July.
However, an OCA Executive Committee emergency meeting last Thursday unanimously agreed to cancel the Games unless the Thai Organising Committee met nine conditions by Monday evening.
The OCA said it had no choice but to withdraw hosting rights when the conditions were not met on Monday.
However, it left the door open for Thailand to apply to host the next edition, the 2025 Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Last month, OCA vice president Chaiyapak Siriwat warned Thailand’s status as a hub for international sports competitions would be jeopardised if it failed to host the Martial Arts Games. - The Nation/ANN
