Dayrit sounds call for unity

Philippine Olympic Committee president Celso Dayrit reiterated yesterday his call on fellow sports officials to start working together to prepare Filipino athletes for optimum competitive level for the 2005 SEA Games instead of wasting time in "grandstanding, mudslinging and petty politicking."

Dayrit again called on Filipino sports leaders to unite and focus on training RP athletes following word wars with the Philippine Sports Commission and, of late, with Philippine Tennis Association president Salvador Andrada.

"With only one and half years to go before the 2005 SEA Games unfold again in the shores of the Philippines, we must now start and all work together in preparing our athletes to ensure success in the games. A big task lies ahead of us in making sure that our athletes are ready to draw out the best in themselves, perform creditably among the best in the region and bring honor to our country and people," said Dayrit in a statement.

"Let us learn from what the Vietnamese did in preparing for the 2003 SEAG. Undaunted by the traditional strength of their more advanced neighbors, Vietnam invested much on where it counts most — the training of their athletes. They not only gave importance to sports where they were generally strong, but even gave more emphasis to develop athletes in sports which need most help," Dayrit added.

Dayrit said the national sports associations (NSAs) should now be in deep preparation for their respective competitions while the Philippine Sports Commission should embark on a comprehensive development program to support the logistical requirements of the NSAs in terms of nutrition, sports science and medical support, adequate training supplies and equipment, qualified coaching staff and sufficient foreign exposure.

In answer to Andrada’s attack that he’s killing tennis in the country, Dayrit said: "The survival of a sport should not depend on whether it is played in the SEA Games, but rather on the effectiveness of our programs to produce champions."

Dayrit cited bowling, golf and fencing which continue to grow and prosper despite having been dropped from the SEAG program once. "(These events) continue to grow and prosper because of good sports management," he said.

Andrada, a former top POC official, had charged Dayrit for allegedly using his positions in the POC, the PHILSOC, the SEAG Federation Council and the Olympic Council of Asia "for his personal interests."

"He (Dayrit) is doing a big disservice to the country by picking up a fight with his fellow sports officials. His antagonistic stance against the PSC and even his fellow officials in the POC is not helping RP sports and our hosting of the SEA Games," said Andrada.

Andrada unleashed his barbs against the POC chief after tennis failed to muster the required number of votes from the SEAGFC for inclusion in the2005 SEA Games calendar.

Dayrit said the Philippines also endorsed the sport, but it still lacked two more votes from the 11-member council to get included in the SEA Games.

Observers said Philippine tennis has been in doldrums since the glory days of Felix Barrientos and Roland So. A testament to the sport’s decline is the poor performance of the Philippines in past SEA Games and its relegation to Group 2 after its loss to China in the recent Davis Cup.