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PLUNGE INTO ACTION WEDNESDAY

RP athletes ready for SEAG battle

12/07/2009

VIENTIANE — Two chartered flights smoothly brought in the bulk of the Philippine delegation here today well ahead of the formal opening rites on Wednesday of the 25th edition of the Southeast Asian Games.

Participating in only 22 of the 25 disciplines calendared by the first-time host Lao PDR, Filipino athletes, numbering 250, appeared to be focused on the mission including swimmers who flew in straight from the United States where they trained.

This despite another frustrating turnout for the RP water polo squad, whose pride was pricked anew by the region’s aquatics bigwig Singapore, 8-1, and dashed its hope to end a string of runner up finishes. At best, the water polo team anchored on the feisty Norton Alamara, can only wind up with the silver when they close out campaign today against easy target Indonesia.

Also in high spirits upon arrival at the athlete’s village that resembled the set up of a popular modest housing project in the Philippines known as BLISS, were the 12 cyclists whose fate still remains uncertain.

Philippine Olympic Committee trouble shooter Go Teng Kok, who was sent here earlier to find a quick fix to the tricky situation of Filipino cyclists, reported to POC president Jose Cojuangco that RP obtained the full support of ten members of the Southeast Asian Games Federation but the final say will still come from the International Federation of Cycling, UCI.

“The SEAG Federation is acting with dispatch and shall send a letter of appeal to the UCI seeking permission for Filipino cyclists to participate in Laos. This is the best we can do for now,” Go said adding that the previous assurances from the Asian cycling association can no longer resolve the issue.

RP opens bid in three contact sports on Wednesday — karate-do, judo and taekwondo — with the hope of pushing as many entries to the next phase of elimination and create more opportunities for a decent finish in the 11-nation meet it dominated in 2005.

“Everybody will work hard and pray hard. The Filipino is a fighter and this is another opportunity for our athletes to display their grit,” said Cojuangco, who was met at the airport by Filipino Embassy officials headed by Ambassador Marilyn Alarilla.

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