• English
  • Arabic

SINGAPORE // Vietnam will not face any penalty for withdrawing from hosting the 2019 Asian Games, the influential Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) said on Thursday.

OCA president Sheikh Ahmad Al Fahad Al Sabah made the comment after a Vietnamese delegation expressed regret for the withdrawal during a visit to the body’s headquarters in Kuwait.

“The unique [nature] of Asian sports is our strong unity and solidarity, which will be on top of any kind of penalty within [the) Asia sports family,” Sheikh Ahmad said in a statement.

“Our unity and solidarity are very unique -- there isn’t any kind of penalty, but support and understanding,” he added.

Vietnam last week said that for financial reasons it had decided not to host the Games -- the world’s biggest multi-sports event after the Olympics – and would explore ways to formally withdraw.

The southeast Asian country has been hit by falling economic growth and with scant existing facilities to hold such a large event, public opposition was growing.

“Vietnam isn’t experienced enough in hosting such a big scale of sports event,” Vietnamese sports minister Hoang Tuan Anh said in the OCA statement.

“After understanding all of those obstacles and careful consideration, we are looking for OCA’s sympathy and understanding on our withdrawal.”

Indonesia is considered the strongest candidate to take over the 2019 Games, although a source told AFP last week that two other candidates had emerged in East Asia.

Incheon in South Korea will host this year’s edition of the quadrennial tournament, featuring nearly 50 sports and disciplines with more than 400 gold medals on offer.

Champions League Last 16

 Red Bull Salzburg (AUT) v Bayern Munich (GER) 

Sporting Lisbon (POR) v Manchester City (ENG) 

Benfica (POR) v Ajax (NED) 

Chelsea (ENG) v Lille (FRA) 

Atletico Madrid (ESP) v Manchester United (ENG) 

Villarreal (ESP) v Juventus (ITA) 

Inter Milan (ITA) v Liverpool (ENG) 

Paris Saint-Germain v Real Madrid (ESP)  

MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW

Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman

Director: Jesse Armstrong

Rating: 3.5/5

Test

Director: S Sashikanth

Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan

Star rating: 2/5

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

Defence review at a glance

• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”

• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems

• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.

• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%

• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade

• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels