September 22, 2004

Malaysia will welcome athletes from Brunei, Indonesia and the Philippines for the fourth edition of the BIMP-EAGA (Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines - East ASEAN Growth Area) Friendship Games from September 24-26. The theme for this year's games will be "Promoting a Culture of Peace, Friendship, Unity and Economy through Sports."

Athletics, sepak takraw, swimming, badminton and football have been decided as the sports for this year's event.

The competing delegations will be provincial. From the Philippines: Mindanao and Palawan. From Indonesia: Central Kalimatan, East Kalimatan, West Kalimatan, Gorontalo, Irian Jaya, Maluku, North Maluku, Central Saluwesi, North Saluwesi, and Southeast Saluwesi. From Malaysia: Labuan, Sarawak and Sabah.

Brunei Darussalam will compete as one team.

About 400 young athletes are expected for the games.

Nations without female participants in the Athens 2004 Olympic Games

September, 5, 2004

According to the International Olympic Committee, nine of the 202 participating NOCs did not send a female participant to the games. The list for 2004 includes; British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Liechtenstein, Netherlands Antilles, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.

The number of NOCs without female athletes has fallen from 35 in Barcelona, to 26 in Atlanta, 9 in Sydney and 9 in Athens.

July 15, 2004

Malaysia's Daily Express newspaper confirms that the 2004 BIMP-EAGA (Brunei-Indonesia-Malaysia- Philippines - East ASEAN Growth Area) Games will be held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia in September of this year.

Contingents from Sarawak and Labuan in Brunei, Kalimantan province in Indonesia, Palawan and Mindanao in the Philippines and Sabah, Malaysia will take part in the games.  

About 500 athletes will compete in athletics, sepak takraw, football, badminton and swimming.

Dates for the games have now been adjusted to September 24-26.

The games are a friendship gathering for athletes under the age of 23.