PHILIPPINE chief of mission Julian Camacho yesterday defended the inclusion of sports with no track record of winning in the Southeast Asian Games as a way of boosting their growth and progress in the future.
Camacho said Filipino athletes in non-performing sports in previous editions of the 11-nation biennial meet such as badminton, table tennis and squash should showcase their talent even if the probability of landing medals are minimal.
“They haven’t won gold medals but we still gave them the chance to be in the SEA Games,” said Camacho.
“Otherwise, you would be hampering the growth and progress of the sport if you don’t give them the opportunity,” added the treasurer of the Philippine Olympic Committee.
Other sports struggling to reach the medal podium lately are petanque, pencak silat, football, gymnastics, equestrian and shooting.
The Philippine men’s and women’s volleyball teams missed the last four editions of the SEA Games and have no track record to speak of for the past decade.
“I just told the officials of these sports to invest on young athletes for the future,” said Camacho.