No overspending for 2015 SEA Games: Chan Chun Sing

SINGAPORE: Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Chan Chun Sing, has given the assurance that there will be no overspending for the 2015 SEA Games that the country will host.

The minister told this to media after revealing details about the Games’ Steering Committee.

Mr Chan, who chairs the Committee, said it will comprise members from all sectors of society.

The Committee has a good mix of people from the private, public and people sectors.

More details are still being ironed out, including the budget, the number of sports and even the Games Village.

Also being considered is the possibility of setting up a separate fund to help the Singapore athletes train earlier and better for the big event.

Two dates are being considered for the event, one in June 2015 and the other in November that year.

Mr Chan reiterated that all this will be done within budget.

"We are keeping a very tight watch over the entire budget. Unlike the YOG, the SEA Games is very different. In YOG there are various contractual things that we have to abide by, but for the SEA games itself we have greater control of the choices of vendors and the kind of things that we want to use for the Games," said Mr Chan.

"We are quietly confident that we’ll have much greater control over the entire budget," he added.

This will be the fourth time that Singapore is hosting the event.

Previously it was staged in 1973, 1983 and 1993. In the last edition, more than 4,000 athletes competed in 29 sports and host Singapore won a record 50 gold medals.

— CNA/cc