MANILA, Philippines - While sports officials are contemplating about the composition of the Philippine team to the coming Southeast Asian Games, the athletes must maintain their focus and train hard, ready to go all-out if they’re eventually tapped for the Myanmar Games.
According to San Juan Rep. JV Ejercito Estrada, the best thing the athletes in the national pool can do is to prepare hard for the tough grind ahead.
“So when the competition starts, they can give it their best, and they have to go all-out for flag and country no matter the situation. Their countrymen will be fully supportive of them in their quest for the gold,†Ejercito Estrada said.
There have been suggestions for sending a “token†delegation or small contingent to Myanmar considering the fact that a number of medal events on tap are “alien†to Pinoy bets.
A member of the House Youth and Sports committee, Ejercito Estrada himself had earlier batted for a “lean but mean†crew of potential medal winners.
“We should focus on training athletes that can win the gold in the SEA Games,†said the 43-year-old solon.
The Myanmar Games slated Dec. 11-22 will feature a lot of non-traditional sports like vovinam, tarungderajat, kempo, and chin lone while Olympic sports like water polo, gymnastics and tennis – considered potential sources of medals for Team Phl – have been scratched off.
As such, Pinoy bets will face tall odds in the race for the overall championship, although officials are still somehow hoping to improve on the sixth place standing the last time around in Indonesia, targeting as high as third or fourth.
“With proper training, I firmly believe our athletes can do that,†Ejercito Estrada said.
“Of course, there’s no shortcut to success, there’s no easy way up. Filipino athletes, however, are hard workers. I’m sure they’ll do their best to get them ready for the SEA Games, and in the other events like the Asian Games and the Olympics,†the son of former President Estrada added.