Five federation members already held 2010 Annual Meeeting in Bali (Indonesia) Feb 26. The meeting was held in Bali Summer Hotel.

Members discussed 2009 activities and some programs for 2010 such as technical meeting must held to discuss any technical issue regarding the SEA Games 2011. The meeting plan to held in Jakarta on June at the latest but must get positive confirmation of sport climbing inclusion in the Games on the SEA Games Federation meeting in April.

Members hope that this 2010 will do instructor climbing courses and Asian Championship in Bengkalis (Indonesia), Inter School Competition in Singapore and Inter University in KL (Malaysia).

In mid of Jan next year SEACF Exco will have a meeting to discuss any preparation to the upcoming SEA Games 2011, the result of the meeting will be brougth to the SEACF annual meeting 2010 somewhere after March, where will be attended by all federation members.

The challenge for climbing community in the region not only to make the SEA Games 2011 get success, but also to ensure the sustainability of the sport in the SEA Games movement, especially when we know that Singapore has decided to give up to be host of 2013 SEA Games. There will a big challenge the sport will be competed in the next SEA Games if they are in country like Vietnam unless all of us do some big efforts to ensure the host from now on.

We hope the meetings will produce effective strategies to face the challenges, then our next generation still have an opportunity to show their climbing achievement in the SEA Games event, and ASEAN healthier youth.

Cyberita in their edition of Dec 10 released that sport climbing will be competed in the next 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia. Malaysian official who seat in Southeast Asian Games Federation (SGF) Mr Sieh Kok Chi confirm it said Bernama news office

Sport climbing community have to begin to prepare for everything: climbers for better training to get medals and sport officials have to prepare how to organize the event nicely that will insure it could attract public emotion within the region.

Many thanks for any one who have been contributing in realization of the dream. Halo SEA Games 2011, we re coming...!

Indonesian Climbing Federation (FPTI) just confirmed that sport climbing already decided to be a competed sport in the SEA Games 2011 in Indonesia. The sport climbing planned will be held in South Sumatera Province. SEA Games is multi-event sport competition among ASEAN countries, this year 2009 the Games scheduled to held in Laos.

The above good news based on the issuance of formal statement from Indonesian National Olympic Committee on any sport will be compete in the Games 2011. This importance step is started from 2005 when climbing strive to be demonstration event in the SEA Games 2005 in Philipines with a big support from Quizon City.

The next follow up is all climbing community in the region will have to do any necessary actions to ensure the sport will held the Games 2011, especially to convince their own NOC to support climbing sport in the SEA Games movement. See you soon in South Sumatera in 2011.

FPTI has just opened a nice natural rock climbing centre in Central Sulawesi, known as Marantale Climbing Area. The area located precisely in Parigi Moutong Sub-District, about 76 km from Palu Capital City of Central Sulawesi (2.5 hour drive through curly Trans Sulawesi National road).

In the area we will not get only climbing, but we could also get diving and snorkling area (only 300 m from the sandstone) and of course fishing big fish use traditional boat. For accomodation we could use home villagers or stay in the hut or camping ground amoong cocoa trees provided by the tourism authority.

From overseas we have to arrive in Balikpapan or Makassar International Airports, then go on our flight to Palu Airport. Food and other stuff must be bought in Palu or in Parigi Moutong (15 km from the area). The temperature in the area in specific equatorial places, very hot (30-32 Celcius in the day, and 24-28 Celcius in the night) and high humidity (above 70%).

This year meeting attended by all federation members except BSCF. Meeting was held in Manila (PHI) chaired by Ms Crissie Malay on behalf of the President of SEACF who can not attend the meeting to to travel document problem.

The main result is acceptance of the minutes of last year meeting was held in Bangkok (THA). The others important points are: SEA Games movement must be started by each federation members to reach the goal to be a competed sport at the latest in SEA Games 2011 in Indonesia in order to reach the goald each federation will make any necessary action to improve their own relation to their own national Olympic committee or sport council.

SMF will effort to include sport climbing in the ASEAN University Games will be held in 2012. While PMM will host ASEAN Expedition July this year. FPTI will host ASEAN Climbing Championship July 15-18 this year in Semarang (Central Java). SCAT dan SCAPI will organize instructor training course on Nov 2009 and Feb 2009 respectively, while the next annual meeting will be held in Bali 2010 prior IFSC Plenary Assembly.

SEACF will held this year annual meeting in Manila on first week of March. The meeting will evaluate the activities did in 2008, and planning for the upcoming time.

Main issue keep up to date are SEA Games and popularity of the sport. How we manage activities related to sport competition and adventure will also attractive issue in the meeting.

Of course each member federation will share information on their own main activity in the past year, which could be inspirational one to the others.

Manila, here we come..!!

Since our first meeting in 2004 in Jakarta we have a dream to make our sport as one of competed event in SEA Games. We have chase the dream accordingly where we attend many meeting of SEA Games Federation in Manila before 2005 SEA Games Manila, and fortunately we could held climbing competition in the Quizon City during the SEA Games. We got very big support from our friend in SCAPI who has been local government aware of our event.

Now, we are approaching the next 2009 SEA Games in Jakarta, could our dream be realised in the city where we put our dream in 2004? The answer of the question relies much on all of our hand where we have to make necessary efforts in our own country to get a strong support from national sport council (NSC)or national olympic committee (NOC) or other agency such as ministry of sport. In addition to the effort, of course we have to improve our own sport in front of them such as increase climbing competitions or events. Good luck for all ASEAN climbing community.

Today (8/20) at about 7am eleven mountaineers from Indonesia and Malaysia get the top of Rinjani (3.726 m above sea level). Some climbers can not reach the top got exhausted, and some are staying in the base camp for supporting. This expedition led by Roy (PMM) and Tedi Ixdiana (FPTI), 25 team members come from Malaysia while the remaining 27 for the host country.

This achievement will be a sign for new era of ASEAN mountaineering activity, where we do joint expedition under SEACF. Now we could have a dream to summit more challenging mountains, either in our region or other side of the world with wider public attention.

Today (8/19) more than 50 mountaineers from Malaysia and Indonesian start to reach the summit of Rinjani in Lombok Island. This activity is part of SEACF programe for the year of 2008. The aim of the activity is to promote mountaineering activity in the Southeast Asia region and to strengtening friendship among ASEAN mountaineers.

Next year SEACF will try to held the similar activity to summit one of the mountain in Malaysia which will attract more mountaineers from the region such as from Singapore, Filipina, Brunei Darussalam and Thailand.