All’s not lost for 6 events out of SEAG

The six sports disciplines that were left out in the initial calendar of events for the 2005 Philippine SEA Games will have to do a lot of campaigning before they are included in the final list that comes out by October.

The sports that are still hoping and praying for inclusion in the 23rd staging of the biennial event in November next year are tennis, weightlifting, bodybuilding, squash, lawn balls and Muay Thai.

"We should campaign," said RP squash association president Romeo Ribano yesterday after he and the officials of the "deep-sixed" sports met with Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Celso Dayrit.

"And that’s what we’re going to do because we all believe that we still have a chance," added Ribano, also the POC secretary-general.

For these sports to be included in the final list, they must gain the nod of six of the 11-member countries. Once they get the votes, at least four countries should still agree to take part and compete. Otherwise, the votes become useless and the sport is officially shelved.

Of the six, weightlifting, tennis and Muay Thai seem to have the inside track.

During the recent SEA Games Federation meeting in Manila, four countries voted for tennis’ inclusion, meaning the sport, a traditional event in the SEA Games, only needs just a couple more allies to make it.

In the case of weightlifting, a verbal agreement has reportedly been made by at least six-member countries for its inclusion in the final list.

In fact, Malaysian Olympic Committee secretary-general Kok Chi said it will not take long before weightlifting’s inclusion is finally put into writing.

Muay Thai is also close to getting the green light for as long as the request of most member countries that the word "Thai" is dropped from the sport.

"I think it was Cambodia and two other countries that asked for this. They said ‘why should they promote Thailand by playing the sport?’ So if ever it is played next year, it will also be called Muay," said POC spokesperson Gus Villanueva.

In squash, the countries batting for its inclusion will definitely encounter rough sailing since they have to convince Malaysian officials not to field their top players whose presence will relegate the competition into a battle for the silver.

Malaysia’s No. 1 player in the men’s squash, according to Ribano, is ranked No. 8 in the world, and its No. 2 player ranked No. 4 in the world. In the women’s side, Malaysia’s top player is ranked 12th in the world, its second best within the top 50 worldwide.

"So as long as Malaysia agrees, the others will agree just the same," said Ribano.

Of course, convincing Malaysian officials to leave their best players behind will be easier said than done.

Meanwhile, Ribano also said Mindanao being "excluded" as possible host was due to the hesitance of the visiting athletes and officials to go down south.

"There are two reasons and one of them is the expenses to be incurred if we play some sports in Mindanao," said Ribano, explaining that a plane ticket from Manila to Mindanao is almost as expensive as one from Manila to Hong Kong.

"But the biggest reason is the problem with security. The foreign officials were really hesitant when we first mentioned that some sports might be played in Mindanao," he added.

Ribano cited the kidnapping case in Sipadan a couple of years back where Malaysian tourists were among the victims.

"Why will we have to worry about our athletes and officials?" Kok Chi reportedly said recentl.<