251 Filipino athletes to compete in Laos SEA Games

MANILA, Nov. 27 (PNA) -- All the 251 athletes named to make up the national delegation to the coming Southeast Asian Games will go to Laos to carry the country’s colors in the 25th edition of the biennial conclave.

Thus declared athletics president Go Teng Kok, who is also the special assistant to Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco, during Friday’s SCOOP Sa Kamayan weekly session at the Kamayan Restaurant-Padre Faura.

The total number of athletes includes the 153 to be funded by the Philippine Sports Commission under the criteria it set and the 98, who qualified under the standard established by the Philippine Olympic Committee.

“Yes, everybody will go to Laos, the POC president was able to raise the needed funding from the private sectors, mostly his friends, to shoulder the expenses of those left out by the PSC,” the controversial Go assured during the session, sponsored by ACCEL.

The 251-athlete contingent was actually the original number recommended by the POC to the PSC using the gold-silver-bronze medal criteria it approved, but the PSC reduced the number to 153 based on its own norm using only the gold medal winners in the 24th edition of the Games in Thailand two years ago.

Despite the confusion arising from the long-running feud between the POC and the PSC, Go said the delegation is capable of bringing home at least 50 gold medals that will be enough for the country to finish third overall, a big leap from the sixth place the Filipino athletes fashioned out in Thailand.

The Filipinos only managed a 41-gold medal harvest two years ago that spelled the country’s worst finish since having been admitted to the SEA Games Federation fold in 1977.

Go said 50 gold medals is reachable pointing out that his runners, throwers and jumpers alone plus those in swimming and diving can produce from 20 to 25 gold medals. There are 399 total gold medals to be disputed in Laos in 25 sports.

The bad news, however, is that except for the departure of chef de mission Mario Tanchangco and his group on Dec. 3, nothing was definite yet as to when the contingent will be flying to Vientiane, the capital of the host nation and the main hub of the Games.

Go, who will be with Tanchango’s group leaving on that day, said Cojuangco as well as POC deputy secretary general are talking to the Philippine Air Lines top brass on the possibility of having a chartered flight fly the entire delegation to Laos.

“Definitely, a batch, which includes my 20-athlete track and field team, will be departing Dec. 6 for the opening ceremony on Dec. 8,” Go said. “As for the rest, we don’t know yet kasi yung 153 athletes and PSC ang nagpapa-book at yung 98 ang PSC.”

Another bad news is that the 13-rider cycling squad, included in the list that will be leaving for Laos, might not be able to compete as a result of the leadership controversy engulfing the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines.

The POC is recognizing the Philcycling group headed by businessman-sportsman Mikee Romero, whose leadership is being disputed by a faction led by Tagaytay City Mayor Bambol Tolentino which is recognized by the International Cycling Federation (UCI).

The last he heard, according to Go is that the Filipino riders will not be allowed to compete without being licensed by UCI.