Despite dire prognosis from sports leaders in the country, RP chef de mission to Laos Southeast Asian Games Mario Tanchangco said yesterday that a maximum of 300 athletes will represent the Philippines in the 25th SEA Games slated December 9-18 in Vientiane, Laos.
Tanchango said that they will operate on the P30 million budget allotted by former Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez.
He said the funds will be enough for the allowances, accommodation and plane tickets of the delegation.
Although he refused to elaborate on whether the 300-athlete delegation bound for Laos is lean, Tanchango assured that the RP contingent is “a mean one”.
The number of the athletes tapped to represent the country was based on the Philippine Olympic Committee-approved criteria of a gold-finish medal finish in the 24th Thailand biennial meet, he said.
“We still have six months left before the SEAG and most NSA are still holding their qualifying meet. But most probably, the number of athletes will not go beyond 300,” Tanchangco told Manila reporters.
The Philippines will participate in 22 out of 25 sports that were calendared in the Laos Games.
Boxing and Taekwondo banner the Philippine Team with a maximum participation of 16 and 21, respectively. These two sports are dubbed as the country’s best chance in winning the elusive gold medal in the 2012 Olympics and the SEA Games will part of their preparation to achieve that ambitious feat.
Swimming and athletics, the two centerpiece events in the Games, are sending 15 and 14 athletes, respectively.
Rounding up the list of the athletes per sports are archery (8), badminton (7), billiards (13), cycling (8), diving (8), football (24), judo (8), fencing (7), tennis (6), soft tennis (7), golf (8), karate (8), sepak (12), shooting (8), volleyball (16), beach volleyball (4), water polo (41), wrestling (6), wushu (8) and weightlifting (4).
Daily Star
