Lina elected vice-president of Asean body

PhilCycling president Bert Lina was elected vice president of the Asean Cycling Association (ACA) during the organization’s congress and elections Sunday at the Traders Hotel on Roxas Boulevard.

Lina, the former commissioner of the Bureau of Customs, was also named chairman of the ACA’s mountain bike and solidarity committees.

Malaysia’s Haji Abu Samah Wahab was reelected president of the ACA during the congress attended by national federation representatives of all 11-member countries. The term of office in the ACA is two years, coinciding with the SEA Games years.

Lina, meanwhile, expressed satisfaction over the performance of the national cyclists in the recent 23rd Southeast Asian Games. The Philippines won two gold medals in women’s crosscountry of mountain bike (Marites Bitbit) and men’s 4-km individual pursuit of track (Alfie Catalan).

"I am satisfied and I congratulate the members of the entire team," said Lina. Team Philippines also earned four silver medals and three bronzes, surpassing the one gold, two silvers and three bronzes won in Vietnam two years ago.

Lina, however, said there is a need to improve on the current cycling program to win more medals in the coming SEA Games and even in next year’s Doha Asian Games and the Olympics.

"The team could have achieved more [considering the four silver medals] and this gives us more inspiration in the federation [PhilCycling] to work even harder in the future," he said.

Team Philippines in the 23rd SEA Games was also supported heavily by Air21 and U-Freight Phils., besides the support it got from the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee.