POC wants Garcia training director for ’19 SEAG

MANILA, Philippines — If he could have his way, Philippine Olympic Committee president Jose Cojuangco wants some old hands to help run the show in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

For starters, Cojuangco is suggesting before key members of the organizing committee, led by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman William Ramirez, a couple of names.

Cojuangco said former PSC chairman Richie Garcia could be tapped to oversee the training of the national athletes for the 30th SEA Games.

“I think we suggested Richie Garcia to be the training director,” Cojuangco told The STAR.

“He (Garcia) knows these things. He is knowledgable. He was chairman of the PSC for so long, and he was there in 2005 when we last hosted the SEA Games,” the POC chief added.

Cojuangco suggested they name the organizing committee as simply 30th SEA Games Organizing Committee in place of the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee or Philsoc for the 2005 staging.

Last Wednesday, a meeting took place among Cayetano, the chairman, Ramirez, Cojuangco, and other sports officials who will be part of the team.

Presidential Adviser on Sports Dennis Uy will also play a very important role in the 2018 SEA Games, according to Cojuangco.

Cayetano will be on top of things, and will call the shots.

“It was good,” he said of the meeting, actually the first since the hosting was awarded to the Philippines last August.