MANILA, Philippines - Binalaan ni Philippine Sports Commission Richie Garcia si Grandmaster Wesley So na maaaring mawala sa kanya ang pagiging isang priority athlete kung hindi siya maglalaro sa 27th Southeast Asian Games na nakatakda sa Diyembre 12-22 sa Myanmar.
“If he (So) skips the SEA Games and he has no tournament equivalent to the SEA Games to show, there’s a strong chance he will be removed from the priority list,†sabi ni Garcia.
Nauna nang pinabulaanan ni So ang pahayag ng National Chess FeÂderation of the Philippines na maglalaro siya sa Myanmar SEA Games.
Ang pag-ayaw ni So na lumahok sa 2013 SEA Games ay dahilan sa hindi magandang pagtrato sa kanya ng NCFP, PSC at ng Philippine Olympic CommiÂttee.
Hindi kinikilala ng NCFP, PSC at POC ang kanyang nakuhang gold medal sa Summer Universiade sa Kazan, Russia noong Hulyo.
“As much as we want to recognize his accomplishment and give him his incentive, we really can’t. There must be a recommendation from his National Sports Association for us to act on it,†wika ni Garcia.
Bilang isang priority athlete, tumatanggap si So ng monthly alowance na P40,000 bukod pa sa pondo para sa mga international training tournaments.
Si So ay ranked 41st sa buong mundo at may FIDE rating na 2706.