SEA Games medal chances mulled at SCOOP sa Kamayan
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 28 Aug 2011
Citing Indonesia?s supremacy in at least six indigenous sports included in this year?s Southeast Asian Games calendar, Philippine Olympic Committee chair and Philippine Weightlifting Association president Monico Puentevella projected that the Philippines and four other countries will just be fighting for crumbs in the 26th edition of the biennial meet this coming November.
Puentevella, a former Congressman representing Bacolod City, disclosed in Friday?s SCOOP Sa Kamayan weekly session that the host athletes are capable of winning no less than 80 gold medals in powergliding, roller sports, kempo, vovinam, water ski and wall climbing, sports which the host country fought for inclusion.
?Powergliding and roller sports have 12 gold-medal each to be contested, kempo has 16, vovinam 14 and water ski 11 and that would be tantamount to 65 gold medals the hosts are a cinch to win,? Puentevella pointed out during the forum, sponsored by Coca Cola Export, FILA, TV-5 and UNTV and held every Friday at the Kamayan Restaurant-Padre Faura.
?Count the medals at stake in water skiing and that means Indonesia will retain at least 80 gold medals in all. So where will our two deputies chef de mission get the 80-gold medals they predicted we can bring home?? Puentevella asked in reference to the projection made by deputy chiefs of mission Julian Camacho and Rome Magat during the PSA Forum.
Camacho, in particular, reasoned out that if the 42 national sports associations that will be sending athletes to Indonesia can win at least two gold medal each, the national delegation can bring home a total 80 gold medals that that would be enough for the country to duplicate its overall title conquest six years ago in Manila.
?Let?s talk about reality here. Indonesia as host country is cinch to bag the overall championship. We, along with Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore will just be fighting for second place, which if we succeed, can get us ahead of the Thais, Malaysians and Vietnamese,? Puentevella as he joined the many that reacted negatively to Camacho?s projections.
Puentevella failed to mention the controversies engulfing the POC that are hampering the athletes? preparations and, thus, affect their performance in their bid of at least a decent finish than the fifth place their predecessors fashioned out two years ago in Laos and the sixth place in 2007 in Thailand.
Camacho, who also appeared as guest in the yesterday?s session, countered though by saying his confidence in the capability of the Filipino athletes to display their best when the chips are down prompted him to make that prediction.
?Besides, hindi naman masama ang mag-ambisyon. Wala ring masama na mangarap, di ba?? Camacho, the POC treassurer and secretary general of the wushu federation, reasoned out as branded those who criticized him and his prediction as ?negative thinker.?
?Ang masama kasi sa atin, kasama na ang ilang sektor ng media, instead of raising the morale of our athletes, sinisira pa. by saying negative things,? he said by way of answering his critics. ?As I have been saying, naniniwala ako sa kakayahan ng Pilipino. May kasabihan nga tayo, kaya natin ?to. Makakaya natin kung bibigyan natin ang atsing atleta ng moral support.?
Camacho, who along with Magat attended the CDM meeting last week in Indonesia, attested to the host country?s readiness to organize and supervise the Games contrary to reports.
?Romy (Magat) joined the ocular inspection of venues in Palembang and he told me everything is on track. He said the governor of Palembang told them 65 percent of infrastructure is finished and that everything will be completed on time,? Camacho said.
He said the Games Village, including venues of sports to be played in Palembang, are inside the village, except three or four events which are 10 minutes walk outside the village.
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