The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) now wants national sports associations to present the track record of their athletes for the benefit of the selection committee that is finalizing the composition of the Philippine delegation to the 28th Southeast Asian Games in Singapore this June.
PSC chair Richie Garcia, who attended the recent management committee meeting of the country’s preparations, said it would be better to come up with details of the past performances of athletes recommended by the NSAs.
Slots for over 700 Filipino athletes from 33 sports have been submitted to the organizers for accreditation last month but chief of mission Julian Camacho said only half of them would make it to the final list of the June 6 to 15 Games.
While a great number of athletes have produced medals in previous editions of the SEAG, many of them are developmental athletes without any record of previous performances.
“Show us the records of the athletes, so we can compare their performances with the current SEAG gold medal record,” said Garcia yesterday. “Once we decide, we will not accommodate athletes without the necessary information.’’
Out of 33 sports, Garcia said only seven associations—wushu, athletics and triathlon, among them—have forwarded the names of their athletes after the Jan. 7 deadline.
“Most of the NSAs weren’t able to comply with the deadline, probably because of the long holidays,” he added.
The SEAG Mancom, composed of PSC and POC officials, will finalize the size of delegation in early April.
Camacho said the Philippines is aiming for a much better finish after ending up seventh two years ago in Burma.