Too early to predict Team Phl SEAG haul

MANILA, Philippines - The head of the Southeast Asian Games joint task force is not putting any added pressure on the national sports associations (NSAs) that will field athletes to the 29th SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur in August.

With still seven months to the Games scheduled Aug. 19 to 31, task force chief Tom Carrasco of triathlon said there’s no use pressuring the NSAs in issuing their respective gold medal projections.

“It’s too early,” said Carrasco, also the sitting chairman of the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) who presided over yesterday’s meeting between the task force members and a handful NSAs.

First on deck during the initial round of discussions that almost lasted the whole day at the POC office at Philsports were medal-rich sports aquatics, athletics, gymnastics and pencak silat.

Aquatics with 60 gold medals at stake and athletics with 46 represent 26 percent of the total 405 golds to be disputed in 38 sports in Kuala Lumpur.

Gymnastics and pencak silat are offering 20 gold medals each. Cycling, which also offers 20 gold medals, begged off from joining the first round of talks.

Carrasco said as much as they wanted to hear from the NSA heads and representatives their gold medal forecasts, task force members held back.

“We felt it was too early. Huwag muna (Not this time),” said Carrasco, adding that the meetings will go on for the next couple of weeks until each sport is covered.

Joining the meetings were other task force members, including Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) commissioner Arnold Agustin and senior executive assistant Ronnel Abrenica and PSC-NSA affairs head Jon Fortaleza, and POC board members Robert Mananquil of billiards, Dave Carter of judo and Jonne Go of canoe-kayak.

Instead of wasting time talking about medal projections, the task force discussed with the NSAs their respective needs in preparation to this year’s SEA Games, where the Philippines will be hard-pressed to do better than sixth place as it prepares to host the Games in 2019.

“This is just the first round of talks and we started with the NSAs with the most number of medals. Before we used to do it alphabetically,” said Carrasco.

“We asked the NSAs which among the many events they would participate in. We also asked them if they already had an initial list of athletes, and their needs, including logistical needs and training uniforms, equipment and vitamins,” he said.

The PSC wants ample time to procure the NSAs needs, especially training and competition equipment that will have to be imported.