SEAG welcomes Pinoys in flag rites

PALEMBANG – The Philippine flag along with 10 others will be raised in a simple but significant ceremony at 4 p.m. today inside the Jakabaring Sports City where eight major venues are located for the 26th edition of the Southeast Asian Games.

Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono will formally open the Games tonight.

Flag-raising rites indicate that athletes of all member countries – Philippines, Brunei Darussalam, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Myanmar, Timor Leste and host Indonesia – have officially entered the newly constructed Athletes’ Village, which will be their home for the next 11 days.

Similar ceremonies will take place in Jakarta and West Java, which are hosts of the other sports of the total 48 to be contested.

South Sumatra Gov. Alex Noerdin and organizing committee chairperson Rita Subowo will be the special guests of the event to be attended by chiefs of mission of the member countries, including Filipino Romeo Magat, the Philippine deputy chief of mission representing Dr. Sim Chi Tat.

Critical decisions were made in yesterday’s Chefs de Mission meeting in both Palembang and Jakarta where the SEAG Federation Council announced that it would allow the staging of competitions in a sport even when there are only three entries. The previous minimum was four participants.

As such, gold, silver and bronze medals will be awarded to participants and credited for the overall medals standing.

Apart from this, organizers will also permit a sport with only two participating countries if the sport has three events to be contested.

The Philippines, entered in only 39 sports, may not necessarily be affected by these decisions which are likely to benefit those entered in regional disciplines such as vovinam, kempo and the likes.

Also, in an eleventh hour decision, technical officials of the canoe/kayak races opted to skip the qualifying races set yesterday and proceeded directly to the finals for five events on Friday at the Cipule Lake in West Java.

Filipinos Alex and Alvin Generalo, Dany Funelas and Norwell Cajes, are vying in the singles and doubles 1,000m categories.

Only two disciplines – team event in sepak takraw and water polo for women – are scheduled here today and the Philippines has no entry in both contests.

Filipino athletes plunge into action tomorrow in the first full day of competitions as they vie in swimming, diving, athletics, softball, billiards and snooker, bridge, chess, artistic gymnastics, soft tennis, tennis, beach volleyball and wrestling.