PHL to send token team to SEAG

PHILIPPINE sports chief Ritchie Garcia is steadfast in his decision to send a token delegation to the Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar on Dec. 11-22.

Garcia is still disappointed with the decision of the Myanmar SEAG organizing committee to scrap many events, including Olympic events like gymnastics, lawn tennis, beach volleyball and dance sports.

However, Garcia noted that there are almost 60 events that were inserted that would surely earn medals.

“I say, we will send only a token delegation because I am sure that we would land seventh or eighth place with the scrapping of many events that included some athletics and swimming events,” Garcia told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.

According to its official website, the Myanmar SEA Games will have archery, basketball, cricket, horse racing, weightlifting, athletics, football, biathlon, football, swimming, wrestling, badminton, billiards and snooker, hockey and tennis.

Biathlon, cricket, hockey and horse racing were not played in most games including the 2011 Games in Indonseia.

Myanmar also included indigenous sports chinlone and tarun derajat, which are reportedly medal-rich events.

“If we force the issue by sending a full delegation and we still end up 7th or 8th, I am pretty sure that we will be criticized. In Indonesia, where we sent a full delegation and we ended up sixth, we were bashed heavily. Bigay na lang natin sa kanila yan, marami pa namang games. Obviously they inserted events where they are sure winners. Softball, baseball and dancesports were scrapped; in
those events we are sure medalists,” Garcia added.

PSC is proposing to send only 50 athletes to Myanmar, instead focus the athletes on the qualifying tournaments for the Asian Games that will be held next year in Incheon, South Korea.