FEELING a bit more upbeat, Philippine Olympic Committee president and Tagaytay Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said the country has what it takes to contend for third overall in the 32nd Cambodia Southeast Asian Games kicking off next month.
“Because of the prohibitions laid down by host Cambodia that affected all the other participating countries, we just might have a fighting chance of contending for third overall,” Tolentino said during the national team send-off rites at the Philippine International Convention Center last Monday.
“These conditions have virtually levelled the playing field for the other athletes, aside from Cambodia,” Tolentino added, referring to the “handicapping” system the hosts have applied, such as limiting the other countries to only 70 percent of events in combat sports.
“We could earn at least another 12 golds,” said Tolentino, who kept his cards close to his chest by not naming the sports and events they would come from.
Unlike last year when the preparations for the Vietnam SEA Games were curtailed by the pandemic, local athletes have had more time to prepare for the biennial regional meet.
Some had been given the opportunity to compete and train abroad.
Among them are the boxers and the fencers, who will be fresh from training stints in Kazakhstan and Taiwan, respectively, before they plunge into action in Cambodia.
Local arnis bets, who bagged 14 gold medals in the Philippine Games in 2019, are back in harness and are expected to be competitive in all 12 events they are entered starting on May 14 at the Chroy Changvar International Convention and Exposition Center in Phnom Penh.
Other National Sports Associations fielding athletes are pooling their resources to prop up the country’s drive to surpass its fourth overall finish in the Vietnamese edition last year with a tally of 52 golds, 70 silvers and 105 bronzes.
An example is in the medal-rich Cambodian martial art of kun bokator, which is making its SEA Games debut, where sambo, pencak silat and muay thai are collectively fielding athletes.
Sambo will field four in the combat events, pencak silat will field entries in 11 artistic (forms) events while muay thai will also have two in the stick events, according to muay thai secretary general Pearl Managuelod.
Aside from participating in kun bokator, they are also seeing action in their respective disciplines.
Athletic officials are aiming to surpass the five golds they won in the Vietnam Games, with athletics chief Terry Capistrano saying he would feel disappointed if the track and field standard-bearers fail to deliver.
