TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Para Games in The Philippines have been postponed again. The 2020 ASEAN Para Games was supposed to run from March 21 to 27, but a delay was decided upon concerns over the coronavirus outbreak.

The decision was based on the recommendation from the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for the interests of athletes, staff, and the general public's "safety and security".

This is a second delay for the competition that was initially scheduled between January 18 and 24 and then pushed back to March due to "financial and logistical constraints".

Indonesia received the news after the 2020 ASEAN Para Games sent a letter on February 20 to the National Paralympic Committee (NPC) president, Senny Marbun.

“In the interest of public health, safety and security, we write to respectfully inform you of the board’s decision to strongly recommend the indefinite postponement of the 2020 ASEAN Para Games, given the risks presented by this novel coronavirus health crisis,” ASEAN Para Sports Federation (APSF) Osoth Bhavilai wrote in the letter.

The committee has not decided on a new set of dates for the regional sports competition. They said they would inform the APSF and Southeast Asian NPC member countries no later than 60 days before the 2020 ASEAN Para Games.

ANTARA