Incheon Asian Games: Team Phl flag rites kick off campaign

INCHEON, South Korea – Team Philippines raises its tri-colors Thursday at the sprawling Incheon Asian Games Athletes Village, officially heralding its stint in the quadrennial games alongside the region’s big sporting guns.

Chief of Mission and Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia also unfurls the one banner under which the squad he described as having “potential with credential” will rally on to surpass its three gold, four silver and nine bronze medals haul when the Games were held the last time four years ago in Guangzhou, China.

Garcia will raise the flag at 2 p.m. (1 p.m. in Manila) to be witnessed by a handful of officials and only about two dozen athletes who have checked in so far.

Only the athletes in weightlifting, shooting, windsurfing, wushu, fencing and tennis have arrived in two batches while those in judo, gymnastics and swimming are expected to join them on Thursday.

Big bulks from archery (seven athletes), bowling (12), basketball (12), boxing (8), sailing (2) and triathlon (5) will check in on Saturday and Sunday while the rest are expected to complete the delegation next week.

This is one of the smallest contingents sent by the Philippines to the Asiad.

But Garcia is optimistic Philippine entries in BMX cycling, windsurfing, basketball, boxing, wushu, taekwondo and bowling would figure in the gold medal rounds.

Garcia also sees possible medals in karatedo, judo, golf, rugby and weightlifting, aside from chances in the other events with Philippine participation.

“These are athletes possessing potential with credential. We are competing as a very compact, lean, mean team whose members were picked based on the stringent criteria the PSC and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) have set.

Garcia arrived here ahead of the athletes to plea the case of Marcus Douthit, whom the Incheon Asian Games Organizing Committee (IAGOC) had accommodated in place of Andray Blatche, Gilas Pilipinas’ other naturalized player, whose inclusion in the team was nixed as he lacked the required residency of three years set by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

Douthit’s inclusion in the team, according to other sources, is not yet final, however.

The region’s basketball superpowers, including China, Japan, Iran and host Korea, are expected to question Douthit’s accommodation by the OCA and the IAGOC as Blatche’s slot could not be replaced as he was not entitled to one in the first place.

The Philippines is a threat to these superpowers who are out to jostle each other for the basketball gold medal. Blatche had caught Philippine rivals’ attention following his explosive performance in leading Gilas’ campaign in the Fiba World Championship in Spain where they notched a win in five games.

The Technical Meeting in basketball is set Friday, where it is likely for Douthit to be accepted as a replacement but only for another player as it is possible one or some countries would call for Blatche’s slot to be voided.

That would, however, mean Gilas coach Chot Reyes would make do with only 11 players, some of whom are still nursing injuries – as he claimed – sustained from their Seville, Spain battles.

“Yes, it is a possibility but I hope it won’t happen,” said Garcia when asked about the chances of other teams raising questions over the result of their plea before the OCA and the IAGOC.

But while Garcia could hope nothing controversial would arise from the technical meeting in basketball, what has become a Babel of a city that for three weeks would be known as the Athletes’ Village already had its share of the ugly news.

A sexual harassment case was said to have been filed by a female volunteer against an official of a Middle Eastern country that put organizers on guard against similar future cases.

Injuries on training are also being watched out for, although several athletes are already in danger of being pulled out while still some others were seen in casts and are already doubtful even before the Games could start.

Also for the first time, the OCA will employ arbitrators to settle officiating disputes and will no longer wait for protests to be filed in Switzerland.

Ticket sales for the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as in other events, are also dragging, officials admitted.

 But organizers of what is otherwise known as ‘The Frugal Asiad’ have delivered on their promise to provide the basic needs of the participants.

There is an abundance of food in the main dining hall, with daily changes in its menu that has also become a concern for Philippine Team officials.

 “The POC is sending a nutritionist but he has to keep track of 150 athletes’ nutrition program and make sure they not only eat well but eat the right food,” said Garcia. “The problem, however, is that the athletes would be hard to monitor in a dining hall this big. The coaches and the teams’ technical staff should help in the monitoring.”

“We don’t want to lose our chances at being able to compete in the medal rounds simply because one of our athletes had a bum stomach,” said Garcia.