PSC comes to the rescue of Filipino chessers, okays trip to Bled Olympiad

The Philippine Sports Commission has granted a P1-million assistance to the grandmaster Eugene Torre-captained national team of six men and four women to the 35th Bled (Slovenia) Chess Olympiad.

The PSC, in its weekly board meeting Tuesday, agreed to fund the team’s campaign to the biennial tournament that is considered the Olympics of chess. The tournament is slated Oct. 25 to Nov. 11.

"Considering the weight of the tournament and the national pride that comes with sending a team to the event, the PSC board has decided to fund the team," said PSC chairman Eric Buhain.

The PSC assistance to the team comes at a time when the government sports agency is hardly fluid because it has to fund the country’s campaign in the 14th Asian Games. The country is sending to the Sept. 29 to Oct. 14 Asian Games a delegation of 218 athletes and 108 officials, all of whom would be funded by the PSC.

The National Chess Federation of the Philippines (NCFP), the national sports association for chess which is both recognized by the PSC and the Philippine Olympic Committee, has sought the government’s assistance for the campaign.

Besides Torre, two other GMs are on the men’s team–Joey Antonio and Bong Villamayor. They will be joined by International Masters Mark Paragua and Nelson Mariano II and national master Petronio Roca.

The NCFP is also fielding a women’s team composed of IMs Arianne Caoili and Beverly Mendoza and NMs Sherrie Joy Lomibao and Kathryn Ann Cruz.

The Philippines regularly competes in the Olympiad. It booked its best finish of seventh in the 1998 Thessaloniki (Greece) edition. In the 2000 Olympiad in Istanbul, the Philippine men’s team wound up 17th in a field of 126 countries.