Tanchangco: 3-way fight looms in Laos

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippines, in the eyes of chef-de-mission Mario Tanchangco, can look forward to a top three finish in the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Laos.

The president of the RP sepak takraw association said it will be a three-way battle among Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand, the overall champions in the last three stagings of the biennial event.

“It’s a fight among Thailand, Vietnam and the Philippines. The others have chances but for the plum it’s a fight among these three nations,” said Tanchangco in yesterday’s PSA Forum at Shakey’s UN Avenue.

The Laos SEA Games from Dec. 9 to 18 will offer 353 gold medals in 28 events. But the Philippines will compete in only 24 of them in its bid to improve on its sixth-place finish of 42 gold medals two years ago in Thailand.

Tanchangco, however, could not say how many gold medals are in store for the Filipinos, but is pinning his hopes on athletics, wushu, swimming, billiards, shooting or boxing.

“It’s hard to predict the number of medals. But we have a very strong chance here because the bulk of our athletes are at least silver medalists of the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand,” he said.

The Philippines will field 251 athletes, 153 of them, gold and silver medalists in 2007, to be funded by the Philippine Sports Commission, and the rest by the Philippine Olympic Committee.

Tanchangco said female boxer Annie Albana has been chosen as flag-bearer for the RP delegation during the opening ceremony.

“I’m honored and surprised at the same time that I was chosen as flag bearer,” said Albana, a gold medalist in the recent Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam. She won golds in the 2005 and 2007 SEA Games and took the silver in the 2008 World Championships.

After nailing the overall championship in Manila in 2005, the RP athletes finished sixth in Thailand in 2007. Tanchangco said the country could have done better if not for close, questionable decisions in the subjective sports.

“When we went to Thailand we were the champions. So, siyempre ang dadayain ng Thailand, tayo at hindi Vietnam (Of course, Thailand will cheat on us and not Vietnam),” said Tanchangco.

Thailand emerged overall champion with 182 gold medals followed by Malaysia with 68, Vietnam with 64, Indonesia with 56 and Singapore with 43. Of the total golds for Thailand, Tanchangco said 42 of them came at the expense of RP bets.

“Of their 42 gold medals Thailand won, the Philippines settled for the silver. But this time, Thailand cannot cheat on us because they are not the hosts,” said the RP chef-de-mission.

Laos, however, has always had close ties with Thailand, especially when it comes to business and economics, but because of the recent crisis, Laos is now more inclined to lean on China and Vietnam.

The track oval in Laos to be used for the SEA Games was donated by China, while the dormitories in the Athletes Village were put up by the Vietnamese.

“These countries are closely knitted though history. And if the relationship stays this way, then it might go down even in sports,” said Tamayo.

Still. Tanchangco said politics should not determined the chances of the Filipino athletes.

“Our athletes are in their prime. They have focused on their training and we expect them to win,” he said.

Athletes from water polo, judo and athletics will leave ahead of the rest while the main bulk of the delegation totalling 386 will fly to Laos on Sunday on board a chartered Philippine Airlines flight courtesy of the PSC.