General Jaruek Areerajakaran, vice president of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and vice chairman of the committee organising this year's Asian Games in Bangkok, told Reuters he wanted stricter penalties for member states withdrawing abruptly from events.
"I plan to propose to the OCA at its general assembly in Bangkok in December to set rules, regulations and penalties to deter member countries from withdrawing suddenly from events as it damages the host country," he said.
"At this stage all we can do is to appeal to the OCA and other members not to make further withdrawals and hope no more will before the November 6 deadline," Jaruek said.
Jaruek, vice chairman of the Bangkok Asian Games Organising Committee (BAGOC) said Cambodia and North Korea had pulled out of men's basketball, Uzbekistan from women's basketball and men's hockey, Oman from men's handball and Bangladesh from men's football, handball and volleyball.
Jaruek said that before the withdrawals, 11,048 athletes and officials from 41 of 43 member countries had applied to take part in the December 6-20 games.
November 6 is the deadline for entries. Afghanistan and Palestine still have not applied to participate.
Jaruek said he sympathised with member countries which had to withdraw due to political and economic hardship and said that despite the withdrawals the games would still be the largest ever staged.
Only 34 countries took part in the last Asian Games in Hiroshima, he said.
Responding to reports that Afghan religious officials had urged Asian Games organisers to change laws banning beards in boxing, he said this was something for the International Amateur Boxing Federation (IABF) to decide, not the games' organisers.
"Member countries should make their requests to the IABF," he said.
Reuters
