Doha squad can better Busan gold haul — POC

Officials in charge of the selection and preparation of the RP contingent for the coming Asian Games in Doha, Qatar said the country is capable of surpassing its gold medal output during the last edition of the quadrennial meet in Busan, South Korea.

Deputy Chef de Mission Mario Tanchanco and Asiad Task Force member Red Dumuk both agreed the Filipino athletes vying in the Dec. 1-15 event can perform better compared to the delegation that won three gold medals in the 2002 Asiad.

The two made the statement in yesterday’s SCOOP sa Kamayan session in Padre Faura, Manila.

"We will surpass that three gold medal we won in Busan. How many golds we will win, that I don’t know," said Dumuk in the weekly session sponsored by ACCEL.

"I think we have better chances this year. We’re talking of just three golds, number which I believe can be surpassed by our athletes," Tanchanco said for his part.

Behind equestrianne Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, bowlers Paeng Nepomuceno and RJ Bautista and billiard players Franciso "Django" Bustamante and Antonio Lining, the Philippine contingent accounted for three golds in the Busan Asiad, easily its best showing in the quadrennial meet since the RP boxing team also brought home the same number of gold medals during the 1994 Asiad in Hiroshima.

Dumuk and Tanchanco are of the same opinion that winning the overall title of the last Southeast Asian Games held here is one factor why they see a possible RP romp in Doha.

The country bagged a total of 112 gold medals in the 23rd edition of the SEA Games for a historic first ever overall championship since debuting in the biennial meet in 1977.

"We dominated the SEA Games last year. And that’s a good indicator on how we will fare in the Asiad," said Dumuk. "Right now, the Filipinos are the best in Southeast Asia. So in the Asian Games, we should be the best among Southeast Asian countries so as to prove that our victory here was not a fluke."

Again both officials expect the gold medals to come from sports where the Filipinos are capable of dominating such as billiards, bowling, boxing, taekwondo, wushu and karate.

Dumuk said he’s also not discounting equestrian to deliver despite the probable absence of Cojuangco-Jaworski in the team.

Tanchanco bared the Task Force has already recommended about 190 athletes to the POC for possible inclusion in the RP contingent.

"Tapos na `yung isang aspect ng Task Force, which is the selection of the athletes. Next for us is the preparation of the RP delegation itself," added Tanchanco, who is also president of the country’s sepak takraw association.

This developed as Tanchanco said First Gentleman Mike Arroyo can still be prodded to become the Chef de Mission of the Philippine contingent to the Asiad.

He disclosed Bacolod City Rep. Monico Puentevella is the one delegated to persuade Mr. Arroyo to accept the job. Puentevella, a close ally of President Arroyo, is currently the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) vice-president and head of the weightlifting association.

The First Gentleman has yet to take the offer as he is currently out of the country.