SEA Games 2019: Singapore Muslim athletes served pork despite reminders, Asia News
www.asiaone.com
Philippines Muslim officials are hoping SEA Games organisers can work quickly to ensure a sufficient supply of halal food to visiting delegations after Singapore athletes complained they were served meals containing pork.
Ramadan Aguan, information officer with the National Commission for Filipino Muslims (NCFM), said games organisers had ignored reminders from the body to serve halal food, which means no pork and meat that is slaughtered according to Islamic rituals.
This week's incident prompted the Singapore team's chef de mission, Juliana Seow, to write a letter of complaint to organisers PHISGOC. Even non-Muslim countries are unhappy about the food, saying the menu is limited, it lacked the nutritional value needed for athletes to perform, while drinking water is also scarce.
"We have some sort of problem because the organisers of the SEA Games have not been able to provide halal food," Aguan told the SCMP. "Our organisation sent many reminders to them to make sure they have sufficient supplies of halal food but for some reason, we don't know why, they did not consider it."
"We hope the problem can be resolved soon and we are confident that it will," added Aguan, who said the issue is being addressed at the highest levels.
Seow told Philippines media that they were forced to order food from outside for their Muslim athletes, who were served kikiam - a kind of pork roll. During one meal, all they had to eat was rice, pita bread and aubergine.Singapore is one of a number of nations fielding Muslim athletes, along with Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Apart from the food, Games organisers have been accused of incompetence for a number of transport and accreditation problems, with arriving teams left stranded at the airport or being sent to the wrong hotel.
"We had tried our best to be patient and understanding," Seow was quoted as saying. "As much as we had tried to resolve the situation ourselves, as well as with our sports and you, these situations cannot continue any further as our athletes are badly affected and are not able to prepare for the games effectively."
NCMF external affairs director Dimapuno Alonto Datu Ramos Jnr said organisers seemed aloof to requests to prepare halal food during the lead-up to the games.
"But it was always the same answer from them: we will contact you. They did initially, but then it was the NCMF which was always following up and offering to help," he was quoted as saying.
The 30th edition of the SEA Games features 11 countries from the ASEAN region. The Games kick off on Saturday and run until December 11.
This article was first published in South China Morning Post.
www.asiaone.com
Ramadan Aguan, information officer with the National Commission for Filipino Muslims (NCFM), said games organisers had ignored reminders from the body to serve halal food, which means no pork and meat that is slaughtered according to Islamic rituals.
This week's incident prompted the Singapore team's chef de mission, Juliana Seow, to write a letter of complaint to organisers PHISGOC. Even non-Muslim countries are unhappy about the food, saying the menu is limited, it lacked the nutritional value needed for athletes to perform, while drinking water is also scarce.
"We have some sort of problem because the organisers of the SEA Games have not been able to provide halal food," Aguan told the SCMP. "Our organisation sent many reminders to them to make sure they have sufficient supplies of halal food but for some reason, we don't know why, they did not consider it."
"We hope the problem can be resolved soon and we are confident that it will," added Aguan, who said the issue is being addressed at the highest levels.
Seow told Philippines media that they were forced to order food from outside for their Muslim athletes, who were served kikiam - a kind of pork roll. During one meal, all they had to eat was rice, pita bread and aubergine.Singapore is one of a number of nations fielding Muslim athletes, along with Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei. Apart from the food, Games organisers have been accused of incompetence for a number of transport and accreditation problems, with arriving teams left stranded at the airport or being sent to the wrong hotel.
"We had tried our best to be patient and understanding," Seow was quoted as saying. "As much as we had tried to resolve the situation ourselves, as well as with our sports and you, these situations cannot continue any further as our athletes are badly affected and are not able to prepare for the games effectively."
NCMF external affairs director Dimapuno Alonto Datu Ramos Jnr said organisers seemed aloof to requests to prepare halal food during the lead-up to the games.
"But it was always the same answer from them: we will contact you. They did initially, but then it was the NCMF which was always following up and offering to help," he was quoted as saying.
The 30th edition of the SEA Games features 11 countries from the ASEAN region. The Games kick off on Saturday and run until December 11.
This article was first published in South China Morning Post.
