Shuttlers set modest SEAG 2022 goal

A Philippine national badminton team that is nearing peak form will be ready to face the tall odds of bringing home a medal when the postponed 31st edition of the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) rolls along in May next year.

Confined in a bubble setup at Power Smash Makati since March, the national shuttlers are training their sights on a podium performance in the coming Hanoi Games, a huge task considering how big the sport is in the region.

“A gold medal in the SEA Games is similar to winning the world championships. That’s how strong the field is in our region,’’ said national coach Paul Vivas during the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) hour hosted by Radyo Pilipinas 2.

He disclosed that the target for Team Philippines, which counts Philip Joper Escueta, Peter Gabriel Magnaye, Sarah Joy Barredo and Airah Mae Nicole Albo as some of its finest players, is to step atop the medal platform during the May 12 to 23, 2022, SEAG.

To realize this goal, the Philippine Badminton Association hired a world-class foreign coach in Malaysian Rosman Razak, who has been mapping out their training and competition plans, including participation in European tournaments early next year.

“Our players are slowly reaching their peak just like prior to the 2019 SEA Games,’’ said Vivas, a long-time national player who began his career in the Batang Pinoy Games of the PSC in 2002.

So formidable are the countries in the SEA Games that Team Philippines missed out on a medal during the 2019 edition in Manila. Malaysia and Indonesia collected three golds each with the Indonesians sweeping the doubles events. INQ