Bowling, golf out of 2003 SEAG

Two disciplines where the Philippines has consistently won gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games — bowling and golf — have been dropped from the list of events for the regional meet set December next year in Vietnam.

In a two-day meeting in Hanoi which was completed the other day, SEAG officials have agreed on 32 events for the Vietnam Games but the roster didn’t include bowling and golf, two of the Philippines bread-and-butter events in the meet.

Bowling has been a consistent source of gold for the Philippines in international competitions and has, in fact, accounted for one of the three golds Team Philippines won in the recent Asian Games in Busan on top of two silver and one bronze medals.

In the Kuala Lumpur SEAG, Filipino bowlers have won 11 medals — four golds, six silvers and one bronze — to tie the wushu artists as the second best gold producers, behind the eight of the Pinoy tracksters.

"We must make a very strong appeal to include bowling in the Vietnam Games, otherwise we will be greatly hampered in our campaign for an impressive finish. It will also set back our program for the 2005 Manila SEA Games," said Steve Hontiveros, president of the Philippine Bowling Congress.

" It is a prerogative of the host nation to choose the events for the Games, and, apparently, golf is not a winning event for them," said Rod Feliciano, president of the National Golf Association of the Philippines (NGAP).

Feliciano said he and Philippine Olympic chief Cito Dayrit had made a representation with the Vietnamese ambassador here to try and influence Hanoi officials to include golf in the calendar of events.

" I am sure our Olympic officials will make an appeal on our behalf, " said Feliciano. RP golfers won a gold and a bronze in Kuala Lumpur two years ago.

Bowling has staked 12 gold in men and women competitions in past SEA Games while golf has four golds at stake.

The decision was reached after heated debate at a two-day meeting of the Southeast Asian Sports Federation, the Lao Dong (Labor) newspaper said.

The newspaper quoted Hoang Vinh Giang, the head of Vietnam’s Olympic Committee, as saying the selection of events was a success for Vietnam because many medals will be given for sports it is strong at, such as martial arts and shooting.

The 32 events will be track and field, swimming, badminton, basketball, volleyball, canoeing, rowing, chess, cycling, diving, soccer, gymnastics, body building, handball, karate, taekwondo, judo, wrestling, shuttlecock kicking, shooting, wushu, silat, sepak takraw, table tennis, tennis, boxing, billiards, bow shooting, weightlifting, fencing, pateque and traditional boating, the newspaper said.— Lito Tacujan with AP report