SEA Games snob raised if Singapore does a Burma

THE PHILIPPINES might pull out of the 2015 Southeast Asian Games in Singapore if the SEA Games Federation continues the practice of giving the host country a free hand in selecting the sports to be played in the biennial meet.

Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia yesterday said he fully agrees with Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr., who had earlier pushed for non-participation in Singapore if the next SEA Games host matches Burma’s (Myanmar) example in the games slated in December.

To boost its overall standing, Burma removed Olympic sports where Filipinos are strong and replaced them with several indigenous events that only the Burmese are familiar with. Burma finished seventh overall two years ago, one rung below the Philippines.

“I fully agree with him (Cojuangco),” said Garcia. “Why participate (in the SEA Games) if the system remains the same? Everything will be against us. We will earn nothing from the same practice.”

Burma is dangling more than 40 gold medals in indigenous disciplines kenpo, vovinam and chinlone. The hosts also added seven events in dragon boat and 14 in chess, all of them alien to Filipino athletes.

When Manila hosted the games in 2005, the Philippines only had arnis as its indigenous entry with six gold medals at stake. Vietnam eventually won three of the six events disputed in the sport.

Garcia, however, expressed hope that Singapore won’t follow Burma’s moves.

“I think Singapore will try to win the SEA Games fair and square,” he said. “They will show that (excluding indigenous sports) is the right thing to do.”

According to Garcia, they will bring up the needed reforms during the POC-organized Asian Games Centennial celebrations in Boracay in October where the top sports officials of the 11 countries are expected to attend.