PH mulls sending floorball team to SEAG

Anchored on the promise of not spending a single peso, the Philippine Olympic Committee is inclined to compete in floorball during the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.

Chef de mission Julian Camacho said organizers have told the local Olympic body to form a team for men’s floorball, an indoor sport similar to hockey with 10 players on each side.

He said the Singapore SEA Games Organizing Committee (Singsoc) has committed to shoulder the expenses of the team, including airfare, hotel and accommodations.

The POC executive board will deliberate on floor ball’s inclusion today as it finalizes the size of the Philippine delegation to the Games on June 5 to 16.

“They (organizers) have asked to include the sport with no expenses on our part,” said Camacho during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association forum at Shakey’s Malate.

“It will most likely get the nod of the board,” added the POC treasurer.

Getting men’s floorball onboard entails 20 more additional athletes to the delegation, which already has 451 Filipino entries and 127 officials set to compete in 34 sports.

“After tomorrow’s (today) meeting, we will release the final list of athletes in the SEA Games,” said Camacho in the weekly forum backed by Accel and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation.

The bulk of the composition comes from track and field (34 athletes), fencing (18), shooting (15), swimming (14), bowling (12), taekwondo (12), wushu (12), archery (10) and team sports men’s and women’s basketball (24), men’s football (20), men’s and women’s volleyball (24), men’s water polo (12), softball (24) and rugby seven (24).

Also bidding for inclusion, the fate of women’s water polo (12) will be known Friday according to Camacho.

“They will pay on their own. We gave them until Friday to decide,” he said.