Biggest wave of Phl athletes off to SEAG

JAKARTA – With 72 hours left in the countdown, 61 Filipino athletes and officials from five sports disciplines are arriving today for the 26th Southeast Asian Games.

Biggest group is the 27-man taekwondo contingent composed of 17 athletes, five coaches, four technical officials and one team manager.

Except for the country’s three bets in paragliding who will arrive directly to Jakarta via the national flag carrier, the rest of the athletes and officials will have a layover in Singapore.

Also set to arrive today are Diego Lorenzo and Michelle Barrera – two of the country’s bets in equestrian – alongside their team manager, Asian Games gold medallist Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, the 12-man rowing team, nine-man team of doctors, masseurs and physical therapists, and three technical officials from karate-do.

Deputy chief of mission Julian Camacho said that the Philippine secretariat is working double-time to secure the accommodations for all members of the contingent to avoid displacement which he heard dampened the arrival of team Malaysia.

“We are working double time to ensure our athletes’ accommodation,” said Camacho. “It’s a complete mess here. The Malaysians I talked to said they were turned down by at least three hotels.”

Taekwondo, one of the biggest sources of medals with 21, will immediately have its technical meeting right on Nov. 11, with the actual hostilities to start the day after and to last until Nov. 15.

The rowers, led by SEA Games gold medalists Benjamin Tolentino and Jose Rodriguez, will test the waters off Cipule Lake in Purwakarta before plunging into action on Nov 14- 17.

The 38-year-old Tolentino, veteran of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, will try his luck in his favorite event, men’s single sculls.

The hostilities in equestrian will start on Nov. 15 at the Arthayasa Stable Club in Depok town. Six gold medals are staked in the seven-day tournament.

Cycling, which offers 18 in gold medals in track, road race, mountain bike and BMX events, will take place in four separate venues.

Track events will be at the velodrome in Rawamangun, road race in Subang, West Java, mountain bike is in Gunung Pancar, Sentul City, and BMX at Pantai Bende in a tourist destination called Ancol.