SEAG champs to head pool of FG beneficiaries

Gold medalists in last year’s Vietnam Southeast Asian Games and athletes who have the biggest potential to deliver gold medals will be the immediate beneficiaries of the Medalyang Ginto program of the First Gentleman Foundation for next year’s SEAG.

These were two of the criteria laid down by the Medalyang Ginto Executive Council, the body tasked by the FG Foundation to set the direction for an ambitious program geared toward clinching the SEA Games overall championship, during its initial meeting last Friday at the Philsports Complex in Pasig City.

The Council also decided to give priority to the 34 sports disciplines that have so far been approved by the SEA Games Federation for the biennial games to be hosted by the country for the third time. The Federation will finalize the list of disciplines to be contested in a meeting next month in Manila.

A total of 49 athletes delivered gold medals for the Philippines in Vietnam, majority of them products of the initial Medalyang Ginto program of the FG Foundation. The program will aid the training of select athletes, from corporate support to finance their training and keep the sporting community and the public informed of the progress of the athletes and other activities of the council.

The council, chaired by FG Mike Arroyo, will meet again later this month, to go over the list of athletes who will be endorsed by the various national sports associations for possible inclusion to the program.

To qualify for the program, non-gold medalists in Vietnam must approximate the records of the gold medal winners in measurable sports held in the Vietnam Games or its equivalent, like various Southeast Asian championships. Athletes in non-measurable sports will be evaluated by the council on a case-to-case basis.

Members of the Council —Tessa Mangahas of the FG Foundation, Ramon Suzara and Ricky Lagoc of the Philippine Sports Commission, Steve Hontiveros and Nestor Ilagan of the Philippine Olympic Committee, former Manila Congressman Harry Angping and Philippine Sportswriters Association president Jimmy Cantor — will also monitor and evaluate the training of the athlete-beneficiaries.

PSC chairman Eric Buhain has indicated that for the Philippines to wrest the overall championship, Pinoy athletes need to win at least 125 gold medals.

The Council intends to come up with the initial list of athletes-beneficiaries before the FG Foundation holds a fund-raising campaign in November.