PSC to support participation of 153 best athletes in Laos SEAGames

By Jelly F. Musico

MANILA, Nov. 9 (PNA) –- The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has maintained its original commitment to support the participation of only 153 but best athletes and 47 officials in the 25th Southeast Asian Games slated Dec. 9-18, 2009 in Laos.

PSC chairman Harry Angping made the announcement on Monday as the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) submitted to the PSC the complete list of Team Philippines composed of 251 athletes, 125 support personnel and 10 officials.

”We have to send only the best athletes and I’m optimistic that these 153 will deliver based on the gold-silver criteria from the last SEAGames in Bangkok two years ago,” Angping said in an interview with sports media.

Angping revealed that the PSC has already prepared the round trip plane ticket as well as the allowances for the 153 athletes and 47 officials.

However, the PSC chief expressed doubt on the readiness of the Filipino athletes to improve the country’s sixth place finish in the Bangkok biennial meet after the Philippines placed 20th out of 32 countries in the recent 3rd Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Although it was the Philippines’ best finish with one gold, four silver and five bronze medals, Angping noticed that the country finished behind seven Southeast Asian neighbors, including Laos and Cambodia.

”If this is an indication, we will finish second from the last in the Laos SEAGames. I hope it will not happen,” Angping said.

The PSC has originally allotted P30 million for the country’s participation in the Laos SEAGames, hoping to improve the 42 golds, 91 silvers and 96 bronzes the country won two years ago.

The POC has already expressed readiness to fund the remaining athletes which the PSC will not be able to fund.

However, Angping said the excess athletes did not pass the criteria and being used by the POC to justify the inclusion of some officials have no business to go to Laos’ biennial meet.

”They are just using the athletes to accommodate the officials because even some of the athletes included in the list were not informed that they will go to Laos,” Angping also said.

Angping said he is ready to defend the PSC’s decision to shoulder only 153 athletes who won gold and silver medals in the 2007 Bangkok SEAGames. (PNA)