Camacho to NSAs: Send your finest bets to SEAG

Philippine chief of mission Julian Camacho wants nothing less than the best Filipino athletes in the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore.

Camacho urged national sports associations (NSAs) yesterday to ready their top athletes as the country gears up for the regional multisport competition, slated June 5 to 16.

“Send your best athletes, we need every gold medal we can get,” said Camacho, appealing to the leaders of sports associations that are sending athletes to the Games.

The Philippines is aiming to perform well in the Singapore Games after finishing seventh overall among 11 countries in 2013 in Burma (Myanmar). Over 350 Filipino athletes from 33 sports are expected to contribute to the cause.

“We can do it if everybody performs well,” said Camacho during the Philippines Sportswriters Association forum at Shakey’s Malate.

Declining to make predictions, he nevertheless promised to surpass the country’s 2013 tally of 29 gold, 34 silver and 38 bronze medals.

Camacho, also the treasurer of the Philippine Olympic Committee and secretary general of the wushu federation, says Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam are the Games’ strongest countries, and expects Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Myanmar to jockey for positioning in the top 5.