Shoo-ins for gold rue lack of shoes

All’s not well with the Philippine delegation bound for the 22nd Southeast Asian Games.

While some of the RP athletes have already left for Vietnam, the main wave of the RP delegation leaves today, some of them disturbed and distracted by the Philippine Sports Commission’s failure to provide them with some of their basic needs.

As of yesterday, the close to 40 members of the track and field team are furious over the PSC’s failure to deliver their spike shoes. All they got was a promise from the PSC that the shoes, which were ordered a couple of months ago, would be delivered in Vietnam in time for the athletics competition.

The RP tracksters won nine gold medals in the 2001 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, the most for the Pinoy athletes, and are expected to match or even surpass their previous haul in the biennial meet scheduled Dec. 5 to 13.

Competition in athletics, which offers a total of 43 gold medals, will begin on Dec. 7. But if their spike shoes will come just a couple of days before the action begins, the RP tracksters might have a difficult time adjusting to or breaking in their new shoes.

Athletics chief Go Teng Kok said he was preparing to buy the shoes himself, worth at least P200,000, until he received a call from the PSC yesterday morning.

"We’ve requested for these shoes long before. If only we knew this would happen, we could have bought them ourselves," he told The STAR.

The PSC has spent close to P100 million for the training of the 445 RP athletes bound for Vietnam, and had requested Malacañang another P111 million for the actual participation, including airfare, accommodation, allowances and equipment like the spike shoes of the track and field bets.

The athletics president also said his athletes were originally scheduled to leave on Dec. 4 but were not properly informed that they’ve been booked in the chartered Philippine Airlines flight that leaves today, carrying close to 200 other athletes and officials. Another PAL commercial flight will carry a hundred more athletes and officials to Vietnam today.

They were informed of the change only yesterday morning. Some of the track athletes, who were up in Baguio City training, had to scramble for bus tickets on the way to Manila.

One of them is Eduardo Buenavista who is tipped to win three gold medals in Vietnam – the 3,000-m steeple, 5,000- and 10,000-m runs. He is expected in Manila last night, in time for the flight to Vietnam this morning. He will carry the RP flag in the opening ceremonies of the 10-nation event.

"I don’t know where he is now. He may be on a bus to Manila," said Go, referring to Buenavista, double-gold winner in Kuala Lumpur.

It’s not only those from athletics who had problems with their equipment.

The members of the RP kayak and canoe teams, just a couple of days ago, were reported to have complained about the PSC’s failure to provide them with the equipment.

"I’m not sure anymore about our gold medal chances. We submitted our requisition last February. There is already a voucher at the cashier but the PSC said there was no money yet," said Leonora Escollante, a coach.

The team, according to the report, needed three boats, single and double kayak boats and a canoe for the doubles event. These boats costing P418,000 were ordered from Czechoslovakia.

"I pity my players because some of them are using boats that do not fit them. Naka-tupi ang paa," added Escollante.

The members of the shooting team are also up in arms, according to a sports official, due to the absence of ammunition for training and actual competition. The shooters will board the chartered flight today.