POC TARGETS 50 GOLD MEDALS IN 29TH ASIAN GAMES
By Eddie Alinea of Spin.ph
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 12 Jul 2017
?Doable.?
This was how the joint Philippine Olympic Committee-Philippine Sports Commission 29th Southeast Asian Games Task Force chair Tom Carrasco described the projection of the country?s improving its sixth place overall finish in the biennial conclave?s last staging two years ago.
?Yeah, indeed, we are in a position to at least end up fifth, if not fourth overall in this year?s SEA Games, Carrasco, who also heads the Triathlon Association of the Philippines, attested, in an interview with Spin.ph last week.
In announcing the final composition of the 498-athlete national contingent, gymnastics president Cynthia Carrion, the POC-appointed chef de mission, was quoted as predicting the delegation is capable of winning 50 gold medals, enough for the Philippines to duplicate a fifth place finish the 2015.
?Never mind if we had already lost at least four gold medals won the last time the Games were held in Singapore in 2015,? Carrasco disclosed in reference to the scrapping of women?s boxing and weightlifting as well as men?s and women?s softball in this year?s calendar of events.
?Our athletes returned home with 29 gold medals and 36 silver medals two years ago. Granting nawalan na tayo ng six or seven gold for whatever reasons, still we can offset that by trying to translate some of our silver medal winnings to gold,? he reasoned out.
?And with the way our athletes are being made to prepare since the last Games, Kayang gawin yun. I have no doubt really that our athletes will be better prepared for this year?s edition in Kuala Lumpur,? Carrasco assured.
?Remember that immediately after the Singapore Games, and even before that, many of our athletes, had, at one time or another, plunged into action in their efforts to qualify in their respective sports for the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games,? Carrasco recalled.
Carrasco was referring to last year?s Rio Summer Games where Filipino weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz ended the country?s 20-year medal drought by bringing home the silver medal in the 53-kilogram event of her discipline.
?Of course only a handful made it to Rio, but imagine the experience the athletes gained competing against the best in the world in those Olympic qualifying competitions they took part in. Malaking bagay yun in achieving world-class competitiveness,? he noted. ?Hopefully, na-maintain nila yun.?
?Bukod dito, many of the athletes, through the help of the PSC, have been sent to compete or train overseas, this time, to get them ready for the Malaysia Games August 19-30,? he continued.
?In fact, many of our 498-athlete national contingent are still abroad taking part or training in the different parts of the world precisely as part of their build up programs for the SEA Games,? he said.
?Our triathletes, for example, are presently either in Australia, Portugal, Thailand or Indonesia for that purpose.?
According to Junjun Fortaleza, head of the PSC?s NSA affairs group, members of the national water polo team are currently in Barcelona, swimming in the U.S., sepak takraw in Myanmar, gymnastics and judo in Japan, squash in New Zealand, athletics in Hong Kong, volleyball in Japan and South Korea.
Members of the PH boxing and muay thai squads are also in deep training abroad, Fortaleza said.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea of Spin.ph.
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