THE PHILIPPINE Sports Commission and chief of mission Julian Camacho can’t seem to agree on the size of the PH delegation in the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore this June.
While the PSC had said it will need a budget of P50 million to fund the participation of at least 500 athletes from 34 sports, Camacho declared yesterday that only about 350 will be sent from a list of more than 600 PH bets earlier endorsed to the organizing committee.
Camacho, secretary general of wushu association, said streamlining the number of athletes to be sent to the Games slated June 5 to 16 won’t affect the country’s bid to at least better its seventh place finish in Burma two years ago. The medal output in what became the worst SEA Games stint for the country was 29 golds, 34 silvers and 37 bronzes.
“If the NSAs (national sports associations) will really work hard on it, we can even surpass 50 golds,” said Camacho. “But we will fight for fifth place if not better this time.”
Camacho, who is leaving for Singapore next month to attend the SEA Federation meeting, said that since there are no athletes village in Singapore, it’s up for each delegation heads to police their ranks.
The Philippines, which won the overall title in 2005 when the Games was held in different parts of the country, sent just 210 athletes in Burma. In 2011 in Indonesia, the country sent a large contingent of 512 athletes but could only finish sixth overall with a 36-56-77 medal tally.
The Philippines placed fifth in 2009 in Laos with a 38-35-51 medal count. Two years after its overall triumph, the country plummeted to sixth in Thailand with a 41-91-96 showing.