Six Pinoy bets bound for London; more eyed

MANILA, Philippines - The number of Filipino athletes vying to the 2012 London Olympics has grown to six, and the chef-de-mission of the Philippine delegation is hopeful a few more would come in the next few weeks.

“We’re hoping that the delegation continues to grow. We’re targeting at least 10 athletes to make it,” said Manny Lopez during yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s UN Avenue.

The first vice president of the Philippine Olympic Committee said the latest inclusion came in shooting, through a berth granted by the International Shooting Sport Federation or ISSF.

Lopez said the POC just received a formal communication from ISSF president Olegario Vazquez Rana that the Philippines has been allocated an entry to the Summer Games on July 27 to Aug. 12.

It brings to six the number of slots for Filipino athletes to the Olympics, counting one from boxing, through Mark Anthony Barriga, two from swimming and two from athletics.

Since swimming and athletics are mandatory sports, member countries that fail to qualify an athlete or athletes are awarded two slots each.

The Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association under Go Teng Kok has yet to name their representatives as well as the Philippine Aquatic Sports Association headed by Mark Joseph.

Lopez, former president of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines, said it’s up to the Philippine National Shooting Association to name the shooter bound for London.

Mikee Romero, PNSA president, said he will convene his board to decide on the matter.

Seven Filipino shooters met the minimum qualifying standard for the Olympics, and the PNSA will have to choose the representative. They come in the 10-m rifle, 25-m rapid fire, trap and skeet.

Romero welcomed the development with excitement, and thanked Asian Shooting Confederation chief Salman Al-Sabah and POC president Jose Cojuangco who worked for the allocation.

Fifteen athletes from eight sports represented the Philippines in the 2008 Beijing Olympics – five from swimming, two each from athletics, taekwondo and diving, and one each from archery, boxing, shooting and weightlifting. 

“Let me make this clear. Officially, six Filipinos have so far been assured of slots in the Olympics,” said Lopez, who was also chef-de-mission of the Philippine team to the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima.

The Philippines won three gold medals in that Asian Games edition, all of them courtesy of boxers Mansueto Velasco, Reynaldo Galido and Elias Recaido.

More qualifying tournaments are up in boxing, rowing, wrestling, archery and judo in the weeks and months leading to the Olympics.

Any Filipino who qualifies to the 2012 Olympics may avail of the three-week pre-Olympic training in London, courtesy of the London Olympic Committee.

“It will be a very good experience for us, especially to the athletes. We should avail of this pre-Olympic Game training camp,” said Lopez, who added that the LOC is setting aside 25,000 pounds (or P1.7 million) to each National Olympic Committee (NOC) that will avail of the special opportunity.