Buhain: We fought hard to meet goals

HANOI — Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Eric Buhain has emphatically declared a success the Philippine participation in the just-concluded 22nd Southeast Asian Games and has credited the achievement to the Filipino athletes.

"It’s a success," said Buhain. "We have achieved our goals, two goals to be exact and all these were made possible because the athletes have sacrificed a lot and have fought hard and strong for flag and country."

The Philippine finished with 48 golds, 54 silvers and 75 bronzes to improve from fifth place in Kuala Lumpur in 2001 to fifth overall this year. Vietnam ruled the games with 158 golds, 97 silvers and 91 bronzes, followed by Thailand with 90-93-98 and Indonesia with 55-68-98.

Buhain also praised the support from Malacañang, saying President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has helped much in making the athletes as achievers in these games and that she was at the center of things as the Filipino athletes did battle in both Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh.

"We are grateful to the support of the President and of course to First Gentleman Mike Arroyo. They have been the No. 1 morale booster of the team and the Filipino athletes responded fully well," said Buhain.

Buhain noted that the 40-gold medal target was indeed expected because of a monitoring scheme employed by a team of former national athletes, led by ex-judo champion Benjamin McMurray. The team has started its task as early as November last year, or after the Busan Asian Games, and has partly completed its responsibility last June.

"The prediction was not based on mere hearsay or we did not get it as the coaches would want to say how their teams would fare," sai Buhain. "It was an effort based on a logical scheme that is why I bravely predicted we would win more than 40 golds."

Achievers were aplenty in the team, Buhain said, particularly in traditional boat race and cycling which delivered surprise gold medals and in badminton, where the country grabbed a bronze medal.

Buhain, who led the last batch of athletes in a chartered Philippine Airlines flight last night back home, said that for the meantime, it is but appropriate to toast the entire Philippine team which surpassed its goals in the games.

"We are walking on cloud nine, masayang masaya kaming lahat para sa mga atleta natin," said Buhain. "We are looking forward to bringing home the athletes. "Naghahanda na ang lahat to go home and show their achievements."

"We’re back and it’s going to get better," added Buhain as he expressed optimism on a strong finish by the country when the Games are staged in the Philippines in 2005.

He said the morale of Filipino athletes is again as strong as how they felt after the 1991 Sea Games, when, with 91 gold medals, the country finished a strong second overall behind Indonesia. The golds this year, he added, also helped fuel the morale because it surpassed the 42 golds won in Jakarta in 1997.

"Again, this is a team effort, a big effort and sacrifice on the part of the athletes," he said. "I know what they have gone through, I was there myself. Now that their morale is back and that they are all hyped up after the amazing success, we could now look forward to 2005."

Finishing No. 1, Buhain said, is tops in his priority when the country hosts the games for the third time.

"No. 1!" he declared of his desire of a Philippine finish in 2005.