The 31th Southeast Asia Games (SEA Games 31), which is slated to run from May 12 to 23 in Hanoi and 11 neighboring localities of Vietnam, will lure around 3,000 domestic and foreign journalists, the event's organizer announced at a press conference on March 18.

Vietnam Sports Administration Deputy Director Le Thi Hoang Yen said that the opening ceremony of the regional sports event will take place on May 12 at My Dinh National Stadium in Hanoi with the theme “Let's shine together” and the closing ceremony will be on May 23.

Some 7,000 athletes have registered to take part in the tournament and March 30 is the deadline, Yen added.

Journalists at the press briefing. Photo: Tuan Anh

She noted that spectators who want to go to the competition venue to watch and cheer for the athletes will not be required to undergo the Covid-19 test if they are in good health.

For participating teams, it is expected that each has a separate floor. If one has members infected with the novel coronavirus, they will be quarantined in a separate room, stressed the deputy director.

The basic infrastructure serving SEA Games 31 is complete on schedule, the organizer said, adding that sports teams from other countries will inspect competition venues on March 19. They will be divided into five groups who will supervise venues in Hanoi, Bac Ninh and Quang Ninh provinces.

The People’s Committee of Hanoi has also outlined three Covid-19 prevention and control scenarios to ensure the successful opening and closing ceremonies of the SEA Games 31.

Under the plans, the ceremonies will be held with the attendance of no more than 50% of the facilities' capacities, or in bubbles to ensure the safety of spectators and officials at the events.

The SEA Games 31, themed “For a stronger South East Asia”, will feature 40 sports with 526 medal events and expect to attract around 10,000 athletes and officials from 11 Southeast Asian countries.

This is the second time Vietnam has hosted the Southeast Asian Games with the last being in 2003. At the 30th SEA Games in 2019, Vietnam finished second in the overall medal tally, with 98 golds, 85 silvers and 105 bronzes, following the host country, the Philippines.