PH to send 534 athletes to SEAG

THE country’s Southeast Asian Games delegation has swelled to 534 after the Philippine Olympic Committee accredited 110 private-funded athletes to the Nov. 11 to 22 competition in Indonesia.

Philippine co-chief of mission Romeo Magat said the additional athletes from 14 sports would join the 424-strong contingent earlier approved by the Philippine Sports Commission.

Apart from the athletes who would vie in 39 sports, Magat said 21 more officials have been approved, bringing the number of technical, medical and administrative personnel to 161.

Magat, secretary general of the Philippine Tennis Association, is the point man in Palembang, which will serve as main hub of the competition, while co-chief of mission Julian Camacho of wushu, will be in charge in Jakarta.

“These (110) athletes have the potential to win medals, so we’ve decided to give them a chance,” said Magat.

The private-sponsored athletes came from softball (17), baseball (22), futsal men (12), futsal women (12), bridge (13), sports climbing (11), judo (three), fencing (three), badminton (three), athletics (two), gymnastics (two), golf (two) and cycling (one).

The PSC has earmarked P30 million for the country’s participation in the biggest SEA Games in history with more than 500 gold medals at stake in 42 sports.

The PSC budget could fund no more than 424 athletes and 140 officials.

The POC bankrolled half of the delegation in the 2009 Laos Games after failing to come to terms with the sports-funding agency.

Magat said the POC had to ask Indonesian organizers for more time to submit the entries after it failed to beat the Sept. 30 deadline due to delays caused by the string of typhoons that hit the country the past two weeks. /INQUIRER