POC, NSAs to draw up Guangzhou battle plan

MANILA, Philippines - The Asian Games Secretariat yesterday met with heads of various NSAs (national sports associations) and agreed to come up with a detailed battle plan for each NSA’s buildup for the Asian Games in Guangzhou, China in November.

Asiad chief of mission Joey Romasanta presided over the meeting with NSA officials with both camps deciding to craft a specific action plan for the Asiad to be submitted on or before Feb. 15.

“We took the liberty of recommending guidelines for the selection of the prospective members of the national pool,” said Romasanta. “But essentially, the NSAs will determine who are the athletes deserving to be part of the training pool.”

He added that the Asian Games standards will apply when the Philippines submit its entries by name.

The action plans are designed to articulate the strategies, goals and objectives as well as the budgetary requirements of the NSAs for the Asiad early on. These will also serve as the bases when the NSAs defend their choices with the POC board.

Moreover, the battle plan will identify which international tournaments will be participated in by various NSAs, the cost of training and other needs of athletes, including daily vitamins, coaches and medical requirements.

“With this action plan, we will be able to approach our campaign from a very realistic and competitive point of view,” Romasanta said.

During the meeting, several NSAs raised the issue of the suspension of monthly allowances by the Philippines Sports Commission which is making it difficult for them to ensure attendance of athletes during training sessions.

Another NSA lamented the lack of PSC-owned training venues as two major sites are up for renovation, forcing the association to negotiate with private venues and prevent practice schedules from being disrupted.

POC president Jose Cojuangco Jr. also encouraged the NSAs to focus on competitiveness “by studying their own strengths and the quality of competition” when they submit their final selection.

Deadline for the submission of athletes by name to the organizing committee is on the last day of September while the Asiad Secretariat gave all NSAs an Aug. 31 deadline to allow time for the processing of accreditation requirements.

“We have to decide early if we just want to join or actually compete for medals. This is essential because our public and media can be critical if we do not measure up to their expectations,” Cojuangco said.

The specifics of the action plan of each NSA will be assessed on April 15 and in June and finally on Aug. 31.