MANILA, 12 September 2003 — Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Celso Dayrit said the Philippines will have to contend with Malaysia for fourth place in the coming Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam.
The POC chief said Vietnam has a clear 30-gold medal advantage over the opposition because of two new sports, shuttlecock and fin swimming, and additional wushu events.
“Vietnam is in contention to win the overall championship,” said Dayrit. “Indonesia is the perennial SEA Games superpower, while Thailand has world-class athletes in many events.’’
That leaves the fight for fourth place overall between Malaysia and the Philippines with both countries affected by the scrapping of several events like golf, bowling and squash.
Dayrit said Vietnam is unbeatable in fin swimming (16 events) and shuttlecock (seven events). The organizers also added 10 categories in wushu where they are considered strong.
Fin swimming involves the use of flippers and snorkels, while shuttlecock is similar to sepak takraw with the players using a rubber shuttlecock bigger than that used in badminton. Vietnam also introduced petanque which originated in Cambodia and is played like lawn bowling but only with a smaller ball. The POC chief refused to predict how many golds the country would get or how high the country would finish.
The Philippines finished with 31 golds, 65 silvers and 67 bronzes in the 2001 Kuala Lumpur SEAG, yielding fourth place to Vietnam which garnered 33-35-63. Malaysia (110-75-85), Thailand (103-86-88) and Indonesia (72-73-80) placed first, second and third, respectively.
The SEAG is a host-friendly competition since the organizers not only enjoy home court edge, but they can also include in the calendar events where they have strong chances of winning.
The Philippines almost won the overall championship when it last hosted the event in 1991 and Dayrit hopes the country would emerge successful in 2005 when the SEAG returns to Manila.
Dayrit described as “very far from reality” Vietnam’s prediction of winning only 70 gold medals in December. Dayrit said Vietnam is probably downplaying its chances to surprise other countries not only from the sports they introduced but also in chess, shooting and wrestling.
Stakes High in Pacquiao-Barrera Bout
Rod Nazario, Manny Pacquiao’s business manager, said if the Filipino boxer wins his Nov. 15 fight with Mexican Marco Antonio Barrera, the sky would be the limit for the General Santos native.
Pacquiao’s International Boxing Federation superbantamweight crown won’t be at stake in the coming bout to be held in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The fight is scheduled for 12 rounds with a maximum weight of 126 pounds, the featherweight limit.
Still, the stakes are high. Pacquiao is set to make $350,000 (at least 19 million pesos) while the Mexican hero is assured of $1 million.
If Pacquiao wins, Barrera, this early, is guaranteed of a rematch that could take place at least 120 days after the Nov. 15 showdown. If that happens, Pacquiao stands to receive $700,000.
From there, it will be “the sky’s the limit” for Pacquiao whether he fights in the superbantam or featherweight division. Nazario firmly believes the fight won’t last the distance, saying: “It will not last 12 rounds. It’s either him (Barrera) or us.”
40 Nations Vie in Asian Trackfest
Because of internal conflicts, North Korea, Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq and Cambodia will not be able to participate in the 15th Asian Athletics Association championships slated Sept. 20-23 at the Rizal track and field stadium.
East Timor, a small newly independent nation, has become the 45th member of the said sports organization while Afghanistan has just been re-instated recently. The Timores will field a three-man delegation. Azerbaijan, a former member of the defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republic, has opted to join the European bloc. Other former USSR nations like Kazakhstan, Kyrghistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, however, have stuck it out with the Asian group.
“This means that only 40 member-countries will take part in the forthcoming meet,” announced host athletics association president Go Teng Kok. More than 1,500 elite athletes of the continent are expected to compete for honors in this biennial tournament.
A Kenyan, Stephen Ceruno, who elected to run for Qatar as a naturalized citizen, recently ruled the 3,000-m steeplechase in the world championships in Paris, Ceruno, who is now known by its Muslim name Said Shaheen Sain, is expected to represent his new country in the Asian tournament.
Fil-Europeans Wanted for RP Football Squad
Fil-foreign football players might compete in the coming Southeast Asian Games as the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) gave the Philippine Football Federation (PFF) until the end of August to bring in the aspirants.
Eyed to carry the Philippine colors in the 20-member team are Andy and Sascha Prochnow of Germany; Robert Hollands, Michael Napolitano and Chris Greatwich of England; and Robert Struebeck and Robert Watwood from the US.
The Filipino-English booters are reportedly with second division clubs in England. All aspirants are under 23 years of age.
A PFF source said the players will come for trials or send their resumés and letters of intent for the POC’s consideration. They fill in a variety of positions from goalkeeper to defense, mid and attack and could be a big boost to local talent.
Should the players pass the POC’s grade for participation, they may also be groomed for future participation in the 2005 SEA Games in Manila.
Football is one of the sports in the POC’s conditional list and also vying for spots are athletics (30), men’s basketball (12) women’s basketball (12), cycling(4), judo (2), and women’s traditional boat race (25).
26 SEAG-Bound Bets to Get Exposure Abroad
Twelve boxers, six wrestlers, four divers, three tracksters and one judoka became the early beneficiaries of the Medalyang Ginto, May Laban Tayo! project of First Gentleman Atty. Mike Arroyo.
The 26 athletes were endorsed by their respective National Sports Associations to the Philippine Sports Commission and will be eligible to get funds for more intensive training ahead of the Southeast Asian Games in Vietnam in December. The fund will come from the R24 million raised during a pledging session in Malaca?ang two weeks ago initiated by Mr. Arroyo. The country will anchor its campaign in the Dec. 5-13 Games in Hanoi and Ho Chi Mhin City on a number of sports, particularly on 17 disciplines adopted by 18 corporations led by San Miguel Corp.,one of the biggest contributors during the pledging session with 10 million pesos.
First Time Car Racers Win
Jeff Jan “JJ” Borja and actor Dominic Ochoa posted separate victories to share the limelight in the initial staging of the TRS-Ford Lynx Cup recently at the Batangas Racing Circuit in Rosario, Batangas.
Taking their first plunge in an actual car racing competition, all seven participating drivers were pacing a little slow as they tried to familiarize themselves with the race course and traction of the track in this event. Borja, a 24-year-old SpeedCash Lending manager, held the pole position throughout and wrapped up the first race in 18:22.852 to emerge the first winne — by a mere 2.587 seconds ahead of runner-up Simon Gemayal.
