Where’s the gold?

BACOLOD CITY – Hotel owner Ernesto (Boy) Piccio is wondering what’s keeping the Swiss-based Federacion Internacional Natacion Amateur (FINA) from enforcing its order to deliver four gold medals to the Philippine 4x200 men’s freestyle relay team that was wrongly disqualified and later reaffirmed as the event winner at the 22nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Vietnam.

Piccio’s son Carlo was on the team with Miguel Mendoza, Miguel Molina and Mark Kalaw. Carlo has retired from competitive swimming after graduating at the University of Cincinnati and now works in Los Angeles.

"Carlo and his teammates worked hard for that victory," said Piccio. "All Carlo wants is to get the medal he deserves. That was his dream–to win a gold for our country. It’s been over a year since FINA upheld our protest but Malaysia hasn’t returned the four gold medals that were given after the Philippines was disqualified."

Piccio tried to convince Philippine Amateur Swimming Association president Mark Joseph to arrange a belated awarding ceremony for the relay team during the ongoing SEA Games but didn’t get to first base.

Joseph said it was "against protocol" to arrange for an awarding ceremony while the Games are ongoing.

"I can understand why an awarding ceremony may not be proper at this time," said Piccio. "But what we’re after is recognition. We want to hear our national anthem being played while our flag is being raised. If that can’t be done, maybe the gold medals should just be given but where are they?"

Under FINA rules, a formal protest must be filed within 30 minutes of an incident and a $35 bond must be paid. In Vietnam, no formal protest was filed. That’s probably why the gold medals were never awarded to the rightful winners.

Instead of filing a protest within the 30-minute period, the Philippines took a few days to appeal for justice after reviewing a computer printout showing the reason for the disqualification was a mistake due to a glitch. Because the evidence was overwhelming, FINA decided to restore the Philippine victory even if the protest was irregular.

But the question remains–where are the gold medals?

By the way, Piccio’s 13-year-old daughter Mia is an up-and-coming golfer who has participated in junior competitions in San Diego and Williamsburg, Virginia. She has trained under national coach Bong Lopez and American Chris Walkey of the renowned David Leadbetter Golf Academy. With Carlo’s retirement, Piccio and wife Gina are pinning their hopes on Mia to continue the family tradition of giving honor to the country through sports.

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International Amateur Boxing Association president Anwar Chowdry of Pakistan may decide to run for another four-year term in the coming Congress elections in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, next year.

Chowdry, 82, has been advised by doctors to limit his travels to once a month and since he recently visited China, could not come to the Philippines for the SEA Games.

The rumor is if Chowdry decides to retire, the battle for the presidency will likely involve a Turk and a Russian. Because the former Soviet Union has been split into several independent republics with individual votes in the Congress, the Russian enjoys a hefty advantage in the polls.

Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) president Manny Lopez said if Chowdry opts to extend his term, he will be supported by the entire Asian delegation. "We will vote as one Asia and we will vote for an Asian," said Lopez.

Chowdry has been president since 1965, the year after the Tokyo Olympics where Filipino Anthony Villanueva lost a controversial decision to Stanislav Stephashkin of Russia in the featherweight finals.

"Professor Chowdry remembers the Villanueva fight vividly because he was then the secretary-general whose job was to ensure the smooth conduct of the tournament," said Lopez. "He once told me Stepashkin is now bedridden in a Russian hospital."

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Marietta (Baby) Lafavilia was the rose among the thorns among the 21 international referees and judges who worked the boxing event in the men’s and ladies divisions at the 23rd SEA Games here.

Lafavilia, 52, was the only female in the roster. She’s a mother of three, including two 19-year-old twin daughtersWhen not in the ring, Lafavilia is a physical education instructor at the University of Cebu at Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue.

She made her debut as an international arbiter at the first Asian Women’s Championships in Bangkok in 2001 when Filipina Mitchel Martinez won the lightweight gold.

Four other Filipinos were in the cast of 21. They were Sorsogon’s Darcy Ocampo, 60, Cebu’s Ernie Peque, 63, Isabela’s Max Acosta, 54 and Pangasinan’s Dante de Castro, 41. Teodoro was named best referee in international tournaments in the Czech Republic in 1995, Cuba in 2001 and India in 2003. He’s a three-time SEA Games veteran like Peque. Acosta, de Castro and Lafavilia worked their first SEA Games here.

ABAP secretary-general Roger Fortaleza was the tournament director with Arthur (Boy) Vidal as assistant. Vidal, 40, was rated the ninth best referee and judge at the Athens Olympics last year.

Aside from the five Filipinos, the referees and judges were two each from Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia and once each from Pakistan, China, Japan, India, Singapore and Laos.