RP feats augur well for SEAG

Philippine Olympic Commitee president Celso Dayrit yesterday said the string of success by Filipinos in the international sports arena–both professional and amateur–is an early sign of good things to come in the forthcoming Vietnam SEA Games.

The POC chief hailed International Boxing Federation (IBF) super-bantamweight champion Manny Pacquiao and US Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) veteran Dorothy Delasin, a Fil-American, for victories scored over the weekend and hoped that it would rub on to the 449 athletes who will carry the RP flag in Vietnam.

"These victories are a good omen for Philippine sports as we prepare for the 22nd SEA Games," said Dayrit who was guest of honor during the short and simple induction ceremony of the new set of officers of the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines led by sports patron Bert Lina of FedEx/Air 21.

Dayrit also mentioned the victories scored by Rene Catalan and Arvin Ting in the 7th World Wushu Championships in Macau and Grandmaster Eugene Torre in the 15 de Open van Leuven International Chess Championship in Belgium a couple of weeks back.

Pacquiao pulled off a stunning knockout victory over the highly rated Marco Antonio Barrera in Texas last Sunday, a victory that was shortly followed by Delasin’s playoff victory over Korea’s Hee Won Han in the LPGA Tournament of Champions in Alabama.

Catalan won the gold in the 48 kg sanshou (sparring) and Ting in the boardsword play. Torre, for his part, led fellow GMs Joey Antonio and Bong Villamayor in a remarkable 1-2-3 finish by the Filipino chessers in Belgium.

Just last month, CJ Suarez became only the fourth RP bowler after Lita dela Rosa (1978), Bong Coo (1979) and Paeng Nepomuceno (1976, 1980, 1992 and 1996) to win the World Cup crown, scoring the feat in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. The RP women’s trio of Liza Clutario, Liza del Rosario and Ces Yap also won the gold in the World Tenpin Championships in Kuala Lumpur.

"This only proves that Filipino athletes have what it takes to be world class. But all of them require continuous support. There’s no shortcut to success. Like them, many more athletes can achieve the same feat if only we learn how to use government funds prudently," said Dayrit.

"I mean, if government funds are wisely used, even athletes with no personal means to sustain their extensive buildup will also have a chance to excel for flag and country," he added.