2019 Sea Games

After  languishing near the cellar in the last two stagings of the Sea Games, the Philippines is finally looking at a  light at the end of the tunnel.  Yes folks, the 2019 edition of the Games will be held in the Philippines, hopefully in Davao City, home turf of  President Digong Duterte and newly-appointed  chairman  of the Philippine Sports Commission, Butch Ramirez.  But is Davao City ready to host the Games?  Does it have the facilities? Ramirez who hails from Davao said  University of Mindanao could be one of the venues while a giant stadium is currently  under construction.  Pastor Apollo Quiboloy a staunch supporter of Duterte is funding the project.  The  country last hosted the Sea Games in 2005 with Manila as the  main hub and  Cebu  and Bacolod as satellite hubs.  Ramirez was then  PSC chairman when the country won its first ever title.  Most of the current commissioners are  also “bisdaks” including my good friends Charles Maxey and Mon Fernandez who hails from Maasin, Southern Leyte, birthplace of Prexy Digong.  And did you know Vice President Leni Robredo also hails from Maasin city? VP Leni comes from the Gerona clan of Matalom town which is just a few kilometers from Maasin City.  Well, let’s just cross our fingers that President Digong will approve this plan to hold the Games in Davao City. I’ll be going there to assist Butch in the event the Games get the green light.

Malaysia Sea Games 2017

Meanwhile, the Philippines welcomed the  announcement of the Malaysian Organizing Comittee to include events earlier not  included and this are triathlon  (where our triathletes won 2 gold medals) judo,muay and fencing. Athletics will have 46 events including the 3,000 meter  steeplechase, decathlon, men’s and women’s marathon and heptathlon  which were initially excluded.  Malaysia won the crown in 2001 when Kuala Lumpur hosted the biennial Games.  With this development and with Butch at the helm, the Philippines  should improve from  its  dismal sixth place showing in the 2015 Singapore Sea Games.

Did you know?

• ERIC LIDDELL (remember him in Chariots of Fire) after winning the 400 meters at the 1920 Olympics, joined  his father  in China  to do missionary work.  He died of brain  tumor  in a Japamese internment camp in China during World War II.

• ATILLA PETSCHAUER  Hungarian gold medalist in the Olympic team saber competitions in 1928 and 1932, was tortured to death in 1943 while fighting in Ukraine.

• JOHN KELLEY (father of Princess Grace of Monaco) who would go on to win three Olympic rowing gold medals, was refused entry to the  1920 Diamong Sculls at Henley, England because  as a bricklayer, he had an unfair advantage in developing bigger muscles than his gentlemen competitors

• LEON SPINKS   the former ex-heavyweight boxing champion was mugged on January 16, 1982.  The muggers not only took his money and jewelry but also removed his gold teeth (postiso).

• TEGLA LOROUPE of Kenya, Women’s former marathon world-record holder and two-time winner of the New York City Marathon stands 4’11 and weighs under 90 pounds.  In 2004, I met Tegla at the Standard Chartered  Singapore Marathon.  Also in that race were one-legged triathlete Rudy Fernandez and the Del Prado brothers, Tony and Alfonso.  Our very own Vertek Buenavista is also 4’11” and holds the Philippine marathon record of 2:18:44.  Young Zulu Kid, an American flyweight fighter was also 4’11”.

• PAUL NEWMAN  was kicked off the Kenyon College JV football team for brawling.  His co-star in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Robert Redford was kicked off the University of Colorado baseball team for drinking and missing practice.