Fil-Ams head list of 40 bets for Beijing

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez is looking at 40 athletes who will be placed under an extensive and expensive training program for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Ramirez yesterday said after consulting with the heads of the 14 chosen sports with medal chances in Beijing, he already has in his hands the names of the 40 athletes.

He clarified, however, that not all these athletes will make it to Beijing since some of them may not get past their respective qualifying tournaments.

Ramirez will announce the names this week although he said that tennis players Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino, and beach volleyball’s Heidi Ilustre and Diane Pascua appear to be the early shoo-ins.

The PSC chairman, tasked by President Arroyo to lead the country’s preparations for the next Olympics, said these four Fil-American athletes are already bound to qualify.

Ramirez said in beach volleyball, players need a certain number of games played in a certain period to qualify to the Olympics. The RP duo is set to compete in New Zealand, and in the process might get the desired number of games played.

Mamiit and Taino have a decent ATF ranking in doubles, and this should also be enough to bring them to Beijing. Ramirez said they will ask these two netters to concentrate in doubles where they will have better chances.

Aside from beach volleyball and tennis, the other chosen sports are boxing, taekwondo, swimming, diving, athletics, gymnastics, weightlifting, archery, fencing, shooting, rowing and wushu.

Wushu is listed as a demonstration sport in the Beijing Games.

The 40 athletes from these sports will be placed under a very special training program set to start in March, all the way to the 24th SEA Games in Thailand in December, and the Olympics.

Ramirez said the other day the country might need around P200 million to fund its bid for a first gold medal in the Olympics. Since the 1924 Games in Paris, the country has only won two silver and six bronze medals.

First Gentleman Mike Arroyo will once again spearhead a fund-raising campaign for the RP athletes, the way he did for the 2005 SEA Games when he raised more than P160 million from the private sector.