With eight pet sports out of the equation, the Philippines may have to scramble for medals in martial arts to gain a fighting chance in the 27th Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar.
Philippine chef de mission Jeff Tamayo said the country is hard-pressed to score heavily in boxing, taekwondo, karatedo, muay, judo, wushu and wrestling for a decent overall finish in the Games set to begin Dec. 11.
Gone in the Burma roster of sports were tennis, baseball, softball, fencing, bowling, bridge, wall climbing and fin swimming. Filipino athletes scored heavily in these sports in the 2011 Indonesia meet.
“We’re seriously looking at martial arts as a reliable medal source,” said Tamayo.
Filipino boxers and taekwondo jins won four golds each in Indonesia.