Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

2021 SEA Games

Regaining SEAG overall crown an ‘uphill battle’, says Tolentino


Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Bambol Tolentino expressed concern as the country’s preparations for the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi got affected by the present coronavirus situation.

Plans of sending national athletes back to training for the regional meet in May got pushed back as Metro Manila got placed under Alert Level 3 due to the alarming spike of COVID-19 cases that began before the New Year.

Contact sports aren’t allowed under the said quarantine status, which could possibly escalate to Level 4 as the surge continues. The Department of Health on Saturday reported a record-high 26,458 COVID-19 cases.

“Tinamaan lang tayo dahil sa Level 3, walang contact sports,” the Deputy Speaker told Radyo5’s Power and Play with Kom Noli Eala.

“Na-delay na naman ‘yung trainings, na-stop na naman ‘yung trainings unless nakahanap agad ng Level 2 areas na pwede mag-contact sports training.”

This is indeed a tough predicament for the Philippine delegation bound for the Vietnam tilt, which Tolentino described as an ‘uphill battle.’

For one, he’s wary of the threat imposed by the host nation. Looking back, the Vietnamese hauled the second-most medals in the Manila Games in 2019 with 288, behind the 387 collected by the Filipinos.

“Cinompute ko e, talagang uphill battle yan, ang SEA Games sa Vietnam. Last SEA Games overall champion tayo, pero nasa likod natin ang Vietnam.”

The Philippines bagged 149 gold medals, as Vietnam had 98. But that won’t be easy to replicate in Hanoi, said Tolentino, since several sports which the former ruled were removed from the list of competitions.

#ReadMore  Jaja Santiago, Chery Tiggo snap Creamline's 25-game PVL streak

From 56, only 40 will be played this time around. Two new sports were included, namely bodybuilding and vovinam or Vietnamese martial arts.

“Lamang tayo ng [51] gold medals. Binawasan naman tayo. Inalis ‘yung arnis, inalis ‘yung obstacle sports. Ang laki na agad nun, kulang-kulang 20 na agad yun,” lamented the long-time sports figure.

“Nagbawas na, nagdagdag pa — nagdagdag ng vovinam, nagdagdag ng bodybuilding. Nasa 30 medals na agad ‘yun. So minus and plus. Hindi ko alam paano hahabulin yun,” he added with a chuckle.

“So uphill battle talaga.”

But amidst the clouds of uncertainties, there remains a silver lining which Tolentino is looking at: Athletes being more equipped against the virus.

The 58-year-old expressed gratitude to the MVP Sports Foundation, led by President Al Panlilio, for donating 500 booster shots of the Moderna vaccine for members of the national team set to see action in the biennial meet.

“Malaking tulong po ‘yun sa mga atleta lalo na ‘yung booster shots courtesy of MVP Sports Foundation. ‘Yung mga ‘di pa nakaka-avail, ‘yun ‘yung big chance. Lalo na ngayon, ‘yung nag-surge, ang haba ng pila sa mga LGUs.”

Written By

Oftentimes on the sidelines. Forever a student of the game. Morayta-bred.


You May Also Like

Fencing

Olympics-bound Maxine Esteban will represent Ivory Coast’s orange, white, and green in Paris, but for the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), she will always be...

2024 Summer Olympics

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino congratulated Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas for qualifying for the Paris Olympics and simultaneously encouraged other...

2024 Summer Olympics

Manny Pacquiao won’t be showcasing his legendary ring savvy at the Paris Olympics primarily because the former eight-division world professional champion is overaged. The...

19th Asian Games

Justin Brownlee failing a doping test in Hangzhou won’t have any effect on the country’s victory in the men’s 5-on-5 basketball competition at the...

19th Asian Games

“It’s worth a thousand golds!” Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino told Filipino reporters the morning after the Philippines, through its...

19th Asian Games

Eumir Marcial achieved two significant feats during the 19th Asian Games on Wednesday. The Filipino southpaw secured a spot in the gold medal round...

19th Asian Games

Patrick Coo secured a bronze medal on Sunday in Chun’an, continuing the Philippines’ tradition of winning medals in BMX racing at the Asian Games....

19th Asian Games

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino is not deviating from his previous forecast that Filipino athletes in the 19th Asian Games will...

Advertisement