Philippine Southeast Asian Games stint in peril?

Due to alarming COVID-19 situation

MANILA, Philippines — Unless the COVID-19 situation improves in the coming days, weeks or months, there’s a chance that the Philippines may not send a delegation to the 31st Southeast Asian Games slated Nov. 21 to Dec. 2 in Hanoi, Vietnam.

“Personally, that’s really an option,” said SEAG chef-de-mission Ramon Fernandez in yesterday’s The Chasedown sports program on Cignal TV.

In fact, the former basketball superstar thinks there’s a possibility that even the Tokyo Olympics set July 23 to Aug. 8 may once again be called off if the deadly global pandemic is not controlled.

“I think frankly that it’s not yet 100 percent sure if the Tokyo Olympics will push through. Anything is possible and we’ll cross the bridge when we get there and we’ll play it by ear,” said Fernandez, a board member in the Philippine Sports Commission.

There are six Filipinos who have qualified to the Summer Games -- gymnast Caloy Yulo, pole-vaulter EJ Obiena and boxers Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam.

Officials are looking at 10 or more Pinoy athletes to make the Tokyo cut, a number that will pale in comparison to the 626 athletes the country wants to field in its title-retention bid in the SEAG.

Making sure that all these athletes for the SEA Games, including their coaches and trainers, are safe or are in the best shape to vie for the gold in Hanoi remains a very difficult task under the current situation. There’s no certainty when the COVID-19 vaccines will be made available for the athletes.

There’s a huge spike in new COVID-19 cases in the country the past few days, and yesterday it reached a record number and alarming level of 7,999.

“In Tokyo, vaccination isn’t required. We don’t know if Vietnam will require all that. But everything is still up in the air,” said Fernandez.

Meanwhile, Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham Tolentino asked national athletes including Magno, who posted on Facebook about the delays on the release of her monthly allowance from the PSC, to be more understanding of the situation the government is facing during this pandemic.

“It’s normal for athletes. Of course they’re looking for it (financial assistance),” he told the Power and Play program on One PH.

“We have to understand the government’s side. This is deeper than we think. It’s not just the PSC that is looking for funding in these difficult times,” he added.