SINGAPORE – Organisers for next year’s SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur have dropped eight track and field events from its initial shortlist of events, it was revealed on Saturday (Feb 20).

The men’s and women’s marathons, 10,000m and 3,000m steeplechase events are absent from the provisional list of 38 track and field events proposed by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM).

The men’s decathlon, and women’s heptathlon events have also been left out.

“The marathon events have been left out of the initial short list,” Low Beng Choo, OCM’s secretary general, told TODAY in a phone interview.

“We did some analysis, and found that we wouldn’t have enough participants for these eight athletics events. So, do we organise an event for the sake of it, or do we make the events we hold meaningful and competitive?”

She added: “Whether the events will be reinstated depends on the appeals that come in.

“This list of sports events released is only Malaysia’s first proposal. After this, we are going to listen to appeals, and the final list will be decided in July. From now till July, there is so much time for us to listen to views of various South-east Asian nations.

“There is no need to get excited or worried. Let us get through this first part in our organisation of the Games. Malaysia’s list (of events) is longer than Singapore’s first list for the 2015 SEA Games. We have 34 sports now, while Singapore only had 30 sports in its initial short list.”

In a meeting with the organising committee on Wednesday, OCM president Tan Sri Tunku Imran Tuanku Jaafar confirmed that five sports – canoeing, fencing, judo, triathlon, and bodybuilding – have been provisionally dropped from the list of 39 sports that could feature at the 2017 SEA Games.

At last year’s SEA Games, an eventual 402 events across 36 sports were held in Singapore, including 46 events in the sport of athletics. At the time, Malaysia ended the athletics competition with three golds, two silvers and nine bronzes and was sixth in the seven-nation competition. Singapore was fifth (3-3-3).

The omission of the men’s marathon will deny Singapore a chance for a hat-trick of golds at the event.

At the 2013 Games in Myanmar, Mok Ying Ren made history as the first Singaporean man to win the marathon gold. Last year, Soh Rui Yong defended Republic’s title on home soil.

Mok, 27, now training in Colorado, United States, in preparation for Olympic qualification for August’s Rio Games, told TODAY he is so disappointed with the OCM’s move that he has initiated an online petition to urge OCM to reverse its decision.

“Team Singapore has won the last two editions, and it is my dream for Singapore to be given a chance to build on the success. Let’s try to get it back,” he said.

“It is not ideal that host countries are taking turns to exclude events that their own country is weak in, in their attempt to prevent other nations from winning medals. Instead, the hosts should look at which events they are weak in, and work on them.

“The marathon event is an event with rich history, and is a key feature of any international Games.”

Singapore Athletics’ vice-president (training and selection), C Kunalan, said he is surprised at OCM’s explanation that there are insufficient participants for the dropped events.

“Events like the marathon and the 10,000m races have always been included in the SEA Games for as long as I remember,” said Singapore’s track legend.

“I am surprised that there are insufficient competitors – maybe in women’s steeplechase, yes, but the other events always have sufficient competitors.

“There is a meeting in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, so the South-east Asian nations will (have the chance to) appeal then. We should wait for them to decide (on the final list).”