The “Have money, will travel” scheme for athletes may be allowed in the Myanmar Southeast Asian Games next year.
PSC chair Richie Garcia said accrediting athletes who need international exposure and are willing to compete in the biennial meet at their own expense should be considered again, as long as they meet the qualifying standards of their respective sports.
“If these athletes can find sponsors, they’ll be welcome to represent the country in Myanmar,” said Garcia.
The PSC has already named 148 athletes—individual medalists in the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia—in the priority list of national bets for Myanmar, who will get extensive training and foreign exposure on top of a P40,000 monthly allowance from the PSC.
The Philippines finished a distant sixth out of 11 countries in Indonesia after collecting 36 gold medals, 56 silvers and 77 bronze medals.
Team sports are the usual beneficiaries of this scheme—with a fair amount of success. The men’s baseball team, for example, brought home a gold medal after paying its way to the last SEA Games because the PSC refused to bankroll the squad.