The 6th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) got its new scheduled date on Nov. 17 to 26, 2023 after its postponement due to the pandemic.
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Bambol Tolentino announced this Thursday after the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) confirmed the new dates.
The quadrennial meet was originally set March 10 to 19, 2022, but host Thailand sought its postponement due to pandemic concerns.
“The OCA fully understands and respects the decision of the NOC of Thailand, Thailand AIMAG Organizing Committee and the Royal Thai government to postpone (the Games) ... due to the COVID-19 global pandemic,” OCA acting president Raja Randhir Singh said in his letter to Thai NOC president Gen. Prawit Wongsuwon.
Tolentino said they are treating the postponement as a blessing in disguise as this would allow Filipino athletes ample time to prepare for the meet.
He had earlier urged the House of Representatives and the Senate to include the AIMAG as one of the budget priorities for 2022.
For Tolentino, AIMAG ranks as one of the most important multisport competitions in the continent.
In the 2017 edition held in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, the PH team went home with two gold medals courtesy of ju-jitsu fighters Meggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez, as well as 14 silver and 14 bronze medals.