FORGET about winning a medal in billiards and chess in the 2014 Asian Games.
The Olympic Council of Asia has removed several sports in the Asian Games calendar among them billiards, dancesports, chess and muay where Filipinos are strong contenders for medals.
The continent’s biggest sports show in Incheon, South Korea, on Sept. 4 to Oct. 4 will feature 437 events in 36 sports.
Guangzhou feat
The Philippines won three gold medals in the 2010 meet held in Guangzhou, China, along with four silver and nine bronze medals.
Billiards wizard Dennis Orcollo ruled the nine-ball men’s single gold two years ago after beating fellow Filipino cue master Warren Kiamco in the finals.
Also taking the silver were grandmasters Eugene Torre, Wesley So, Rogelio Antonio Jr., John Paul Gomez and Darwin Laylo in the team chess competition.
Dancers Ronnie Steeve Vergara and Charlea Lagaras won a pair of bronze medals in the Latin Paso Doble and Latin Cha-Cha-Cha in dancesports.
Filipino cue players as well as homegrown chessers are considered strong medal contenders in global meets.
So ruled the chess standard event of the recent 27th Universiade in Kazan, Russia.
The Universiade or World University Games is the biggest sports gathering in the world among college athletes.
Other gold medalists in Guangzhou were boxer Rey Saludar and bowler Engelberto “Biboy” Rivera while Annie Albania (boxing) and Miguel Luis Tabuena (golf) won silver medals.