Dayrit: Fil-Ams to undergo tryouts

No special treatment for Fil-American athletes.

This was the strong assurance made by Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Celso Dayrit yesterday as foreign-bred or foreign-based Filipino athletes are expected to don the national colors in future international competitions.

Speaking before the weekly SCOOP sa Kamayan forum, the POC chief said the Fil-Am athletes will have to go through the regular tryouts set by the different national sports associations (NSAs) before they are included in the national pool.

Dayrit said these athletes must also meet all the requirements and standards and will have to train just as hard or even harder than the present crop of athletes.

Eight Fil-Am athletes are scheduled to see action in the National Open track and field championships on June 1-4 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium. They are expected to arrive in the next few days from Los Angeles, California.

"There is no free ride here and no automatic inclusion. They must not only qualify, but likewise, must be acceptable to the NSAs concerned. To qualify, those chosen must pass the criteria set by the NSAs," said Dayrit.

Dayrit was in the US recently to witness the launching of the Philippine Overseas Olympic Development Committee (POODC), a non-profit organization aiming to help provide the country with fresh, promising talents for international meets.

The POC president added that all expenses needed by the Fil-Am athletes until the time they are officially included in the national pool will be shouldered by the POODC.

Since it was too late for these athletes to try and qualify for the Athens Olympics in August, Dayrit is looking at next year’s 23rd Southeast Asian Games, which the country is hosting, as their launching pad.

Dayrit said the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee is just waiting word from Malacañang regarding a recommendation to have Tourism Secretary Roberto Pagdanganan as chairman of Philsoc.