By Kristel Satumbaga
Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Bambol Tolentino said he will push for the country’s participation in all events in the 2021 Southeast Asian Games which will be hosted by Vietnam.
Tolentino said the idea would encourage the athletes to keep in shape especially during these trying times where the coronavirus pandemic hampered their training and competitions were either postponed or cancelled.
“Whatever sports na ilalatag ng (host) Vietnam, definitely magpapadala tayo lahat ng atleta don. Yun ang gusto kong ipasok sa upcoming board meeting namin,” he said in a video conference.
Vietnam is targeting 35 to 40 events next year.
Tolentino added he has a plan on how to finance the athletes’ participation, knowing the Philippine Sports Commission’s limited budget on the biennial meet.
“Whether or not sagutin ng PSC (Philippine Sports Commission), may paraan naman na makapagpadala tayo sa lahat ng events, basta qualified.”
When the country hosted the biennial event last year, the country produced 149 golds, 117 silvers and 121 bronzes to win the overall championship.
A total of 1,115 Filipino athletes took part in last year’s event that staged 56 events.
“Sayang yung previous record ng athletes natin na overall champion kung hindi natin ipapadala yung ibang mga atleta just because of budgetary requirements,” said Tolentino.
During the 2017 SEAG in Singapore, the country sent 497 athletes to participate in 37 sports. The delegation collected 23 gold, 34 silver and 63 bronze medals to finish sixth place.
Tolentino said member nations will convene online next month to tackle the sports lineup, adding that they will lobby for regional sports to be included: arnis, kickboxing, obstacle course race and pentathlon.
At the moment, national athletes have resorted to training on their own following the government’s quarantine restrictions since March.
