SEA Games Notes: Tañamor in collision course with Thai rival

MANILA, Philippines - World Cup gold medalist Harry Tañamor is headed for a duel with Asian champion Kaew Pongprayoon of Thailand in the battle for supremacy in the 48-kilogram lightflyweight division of men’s boxing at the 25th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Laos.

Tañamor, 32, and Kaew, 29, saw action at the World Championships in Milan last September. Tañamor drew a bye and lost an 11-3 decision in his first bout to Armenia’s Hovhannes Danielyan while Kaew beat Azerbaijan’s Elvin Mamishzade, 14-6, and India’s Nanao Singh Thokchom, 16-4, before bowing to Spain’s Jose Linares, 9-3, in the round-of-16. Both fighters went home without a medal.

But Kaew, who demolished Filipino Gerson Nietes on the way to capture the gold medal at the Kings Cup in Bangkok last April, is heavily favored to win his second SEA Games crown despite Tañamor’s glowing credentials. In 2007, the Thai captured the gold medal in the pinweight category. And in Zhuhai City, China, last June, he was untouchable in claiming the Asian title, sweeping China’s Li Jiazhao, 5-4, North Korea’s Ri Chung Il, 4-1, and Thokchom, 9-8, in that order.

Tañamor faces Myanmar’s Htet Aung to open his Laos campaign this afternoon. Also making his first appearance at the Olympasia Gym of the National University in Dongdok is Kaew who takes on Timor Leste’s Abilio Oriando dos Santos. The two bouts are in the semifinals as there are only four entries in the lightflyweight class. Winners will advance to dispute the gold in the finals on Thursday.

Tañamor, who is seeing action in only his second international competition this year, said he hopes a strong showing in Laos will enhance his chances of participating in the Asian Games in Guangzhou next year. The veteran is also setting his sights on a third Olympic appearance in London even if the lightflyweight class has been eliminated. Tañamor will barely make the 34-year-old age cutoff for the 2012 Olympics but if he qualifies, it will be as a flyweight.

Still to fight in Laos are flyweight Rey Saludar and lightwelterweight Joegin Ladon who are booked to compete in the semifinals on Tuesday.

Saludar, 22, is considered a darkhorse in the tournament. It’s his SEA Games debut. Last year, he claimed a bronze medal at the fourth Cuban Sports Olympiad in Havana and another bronze at the Asian Junior Championships in Nanning, China. Only five boxers are listed in the flyweight division and Saludar drew a bye to jump straight into the semifinals.

There are six contenders in the lightwelterweight class and Ladon also drew a bye to make it to the semifinals outright. No Thai is listed in the division. Ladon was originally billed to vie in the lightweight class but Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) executive director Ed Picson elevated him to the 64-kilogram division when he found out Thailand had no entry. A country is limited to only six entries in the 10 weight categories for men’s boxing and to only four in the six classes for women.

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Indonesia will host the next SEA Games in 2011 and from early indications, obscure sports like shuttlecock juggling, fin swimming and petanque – which are included in this year’s edition in Laos – will be struck out of the calendar.

The plan is for Indonesia to list 37 sports in the agenda, a major jump from the 25 in Laos. Expected to be reinstated in Indonesia after exclusion in Laos are basketball, 10-pin bowling, equestrian, gymnastics, squash, fencing, chess, traditional boat race, rowing, sailing, softball and baseball.

Indonesia intends to add wall-climbing, roller-skating, kempo and powerlifting to the roster. Kempo is similar to fencing and the Japanese-influenced sport uses bamboo-made sticks.

Powerlifting Association of the Philippines (PAP) president Eddie Torres will surely welcome the news of his favorite sport making it to the SEA Games. Male and female powerlifters from the Philippines are among the world’s best and should make a major impact in the medal standings in Indonesia if the sport is included.

In the line of succession, Singapore is supposed to host the 2013 SEA Games but may reportedly decline in favor of Vietnam, the 2003 site. Starting 2015, the hosts on tap are Cambodia, Myanmar, Brunei and Malaysia in that order.

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Ernesto (Boy) Piccio, whose son Carlo was once an Olympic swimmer and daughter Mia is now in Laos with the women’s golf team, has an unsettled issue with the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association (PASA).

“The PASA leadership has been in power for a long time,” said Piccio who owns the popular Business Inn in Bacolod City. “Our gold medals from the SEA Games in Vietnam six years ago have been due even longer. We have pleaded for the recovery of our medals but no result. Inutile!”

Piccio recalled that in Vietnam, the 4x200 meter Philippine men’s freestyle relay swimming team found a way to win against all odds.

“Ask Miguel Molina who’s the only remnant of the team still competing for the country,” continued Piccio. “Mark Kalaw, Miguel Mendoza and Carlo have long retired. The medals are still to be accounted for despite our pleadings.”

In Vietnam, the Philippine team was wrongly disqualified after topping the relay event and Malaysia was awarded the championship. Under FINA (Federacion Internacional Natacion Amateur) rules, a formal protest must be filed within 30 minutes of an incident and a $35 bond must be paid. But no formal protest was ever filed. It took a few days for the Philippines to appeal for justice after reviewing a computer printout that showed the reason for the disqualification was a mistake due to a glitch. Because the evidence was overwhelming, FINA decided to restore the Philippine victory as the disqualification was clearly unjustified.

The question is - where are the gold medals? It’s been six years since Vietnam and still, the medals haven’t been delivered to their rightful owners. Apparently, Malaysia has refused to surrender the gold medals that are nowhere to be found.

“It’s SEA Games time again,” said Piccio. “Just to inform you that up to now, the gold medals of the relay team have not been awarded. Our swimmers, including my son, all served the country well. That’s why our sports officials should fight for what is rightfully theirs.”