Due to the new rules imposed by the host country.
In a statement on Saturday, October 18, Gymnastics Association of the Philippines (GAP) President Cynthia Carrion confirmed that Pinoy double Olympic gold medalist Carlos Yulo will not participate in the upcoming Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Thailand.
According to Carrion, Yulo has decided to skip the biennial meet and would instead place his support to his teammates in the Philippine gymanstics team.
Apart from that, she also cited the new rule imposed by host country Thailand, where gymnasts are only allowed to do one apparatus in the final event, as well as the lack of team competition in this edition.
As such, no individual all-around competition will be held in the 2025 SEA Games.
Carrion said in a statement, “The competitions of SEA Games is not for the athletes but for the country and how many medals they can get. It should be a festive occasion for us.”
She added, “Carlos wants to give his teammates [a] chance to win in as much as only one apparatus they can win.”
At present, the “Golden Boy of Philippine Sports” is in Jakarta, Indonesia for the 53rd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships.
He is part of the men’s national team with Juancho Miguel Besana, Justine Ace de Leon, and John Ivan Cruz.
Also representing the country in women’s divisible n are Aleah Finnegan, Emma Malabuyo, Haylee Garcia, and the Olympic double medalist’s sister, Elaiza Yulo.