PSC blasts Philsoc on 2005 SEAG sports, venues

Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chairman Eric Buhain is in no mood to play the guessing game as far as the country’s hosting of the 22nd Southeast Asian Games next year is concerned.

Buhain, whose agency was tasked to handle the training of the RP athletes for the 2005 SEAG, yesterday said the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (Philsoc) taking so long in making key decisions is certainly not doing the country any good.

Buhain questioned the delay in the announcement of the main venue or the satellite venues despite the fact that 22 of the projected 35 sports disciplines in the "priority" or "suggested" list have already been identified.

These events are athletics, aquatics, arnis, archery, wrestling, wushu, boxing, basketball, rowing/traditional boat race, triathlon, gymnastics, judo, fencing, taekwondo, golf, chess, bowling, baseball, softball, equestrian, dance sport and billiards.

Buhain also said the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), supposed to be in consultation with the different National Sports Associations (NSAs), has yet to come up with the RP athletes’ training program which the PSC will have to fund.

Celso Dayrit, the POC president, is also chairman of Philsoc.

Buhain said Dayrit and his fellow Philsoc members should plunge into serious business "or we face both the embarrassment of an ill-prepared RP Team and a half-baked hosting."

"The PSC is ready, and the national government likewise. But as the countdown to the SEA Games draws closer, the big question is where do we come in? Celso Dayrit has to make a decision now," added the PSC chief, who was originally a member of Philsoc until the powerful group was restructured last year.

"We have to know from him (Dayrit), among other things, the official host or hosts. It has to be declared because we, at the PSC, need to coordinate with other government agencies and present something to President Arroyo," Buhain added.

Dayrit, who presided over a SEA Games Federation meeting yesterday, said Philsoc cannot decide on the official venues because the list of official sports has yet to be finalized.

"We are not discussing venues. We are discussing other things. We cannot discuss the venues because we don’t know yet the sports," Dayrit was quoted as saying after the Westin Philippine Plaza meeting attended by 44 officials from 11 countries.

Dayrit could not even confirm whether the old Rizal Memorial Coliseum will be used for the 2005 Games.

"As far as the venues are concerned, Rizal Memorial is being considered. We cannot identify a particular venue," the POC chief added.

Buhain said the different PSC departments have been discussing, among others things, possible repairs and renovations of existing facilities.

"But all these are for naught if the POC continues to refuse talking to us. We doing some things, just to be ready. But Mr. Dayrit better make some decisions–fast," said the PSC chairman.