MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Sports Commission chairman Richie Garcia is boycotting the 29th Southeast Asian Games in Myanmar in December and will encourage his four commissioners to do the same.
“For me it’s an act to show that we (in the PSC) are not in agreement with the system,†said Garcia.
The PSC chief has openly expressed his dismay over Myanmar’s attempt to manipulate the results of the biennial event in favor of its athletes.
Myanmar was seventh overall in the 2011 SEA Games in Indonesia and is doing everything to move up the standings, removing Olympic events like gymnastics, beach volleyball and lawn tennis in favor of traditional and indigenous sports hardly played by the other countries.
Of the 36 events which the Filipinos won in the last SEA Games, 16 will not be played in Myanmar. As a result, Garcia said it will be very difficult or impossible for the Philippines to stay in sixth place behind Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore.
Baseball, softball and dance sport, other sources of medals for the Philippines, have also been scratched from this year’s SEA Games calendar.
“As chairman of the PSC, I will not attend the SEA Games and will encourage my commissioners to do the same. If the Philippine Olympic Committee will not show any sign of protest, the government will,†said Garcia.
In the past SEA Games, the PSC chairman is often present along with a couple of his commissioners.
However, the PSC will continue to support the athletes’ training and going to the SEA Games, but the funding will be limited to individual athletes with real chances of winning the gold.
“The athletes’ participation is a decision of POC and the NSAs (national sports associations). But we will not abuse the funds of the government for something we don’t agree with,†said Garcia.
Garcia said PSC employees with roles to play in the Philippine delegation to Myanmar, like those in the medical and technical staff and secretariat, will be allowed to go, but not PSC officials.
The PSC chairman said he will suggest to POC president Jose Cojuangco to host a meeting among members of the SEA Games Federation to discuss the matter.
“In the next SEA Games in Singapore this thing should not happen. So I already mentioned to our POC president, ‘Why don’t we host a discussion among members on how we should amend the by-laws and rules and regulations,’†said Garcia.
“I can’t understand why events like tennis or gymnastics which since the beginning are being played in the SEA Games are suddenly removed. If we get to host the meeting, we should identify the sports that cannot be changed or removed,†the PSC chief said.
He said indigenous sports like vovinam, kempo and chinlone (cane ball), which will all be played in Myanmar and will offer a total of 44 gold medals, should be classified as demonstration sports.
“You can award gold medals and honor the winners. But the medals should not reflect in the overall medal tally,†said Garcia.