NSAs confident-scheme to top SEA Games out

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president and PhilCycling chief Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino is not predicting how many gold medals his cyclists can capture in the 13-event cycling competition of the 30th Southeast Asian Games 15 days from now.

But out of 56 of Tolentino’s fellow national sports association (NSA) heads, 45 went to town during a coordination meeting with Team Philippines chef de mission and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chair William Ramirez recently.

Inquirer sports scribe June Navarro reported that a source told him that the NSA leaders boldly projected for Ramirez’s benefit that 200 gold medals can be won by Filipino athletes in the Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 multisport event of 11 nations. Of course that would be more than enough to secure the coveted overall title in the biggest edition of the Games.

In a talk with Navarro later, Tolentino curbed the NSAs’ collective enthusiasm, saying that “winning 130 to 180 gold medals is doable” and will be “enough for us to capture the title.”

Boxing, a tested gold medal harvester, is among the NSA party poopers. “Making a forecast in boxing would be foolish because of so many variables,” said Ed Picson, executive director of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines.

“These include the draw, the condition of boxers ours and the opponent’s, the schedule, etc.,” according to Picson. “So it’s not modesty. I just don’t feel comfortable making predictions.”

The Philippines has hosted the biennial Games three times in the past, the last time in 2005 when it won its first ever overall title. In the 2017 SEA Games won by host Malaysia, the Philippines placed sixth overall.

As host of the 30th Games, the country could pull a fast one over the 10 other competing nations. It could set in motion its own version of a scheme as old as the subcontinental Games itself by erasing some Olympic sports in favor of indigenous events to harness the locals’ medal yield.

But with its strength in numbers, around 1,115 athletes seasoned by competitions abroad, the organizers—the PSC, the POC and the Philippine Southeast Asian Games Organizing Committee—think the country can repeat its 2005 feat without tinkering with the Games’ full Olympic sports calendar.

To give local athletes from 56 sports competing in 530 events more shots at gold medals, organizers added arnis—the Philippines’ true national sport—and stake 20 gold medals for this year’s Games.

And they have also included 16 new regional games like jiujitsu, individual sports like chess and team sports like esports.