Cash-strapped RP trims athletic team

Cash-strapped RP trims athletic team

MANILA (DPA): The Philippines, hard-hit by the regional economic crisis, has cut back the number of athletes it will send to the 13th Asian Games in Thailand later this year.

The cash-strapped Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Thursday praised the Amateur Track and Field Association for its decision to reduce its 7-member team to one athlete, "long jump queen" Elma Muros-Posadas, for the Dec. 6 to 20 event in Bangkok.

"It is a good thing that they are beginning to respond to our call for prudence," said PSC chairman Butch Tuason. "I hope other sports associations will do the same."

Mario Tanchangco, deputy chief de mission of the Philippine delegation, said at least 8 million pesos (US$200,000) will be saved if only 167 qualified athletes and 68 officials are sent.

The commission had earlier warned some athletes they would have to pay for their transport to Bangkok.

Under the current calculations, each Filipino athlete is allotted 61,000 pesos ($1,452) for their air fare, accommodation, uniforms and allowances.

Go Teng Kok, president of the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association, said, "We support moves to cut cost, especially during these hard times".

"We understand the predicament of our sports leaders who have to look for money to support us. Even the POC is having a hard time coming up with the money from the private sector and we don't want to become a burden to them."

Sports columnist Rudy Navarro, writing in the English-language newspaper Tempo, said Go "deserves kudos for taking the lead in belt-tightening".

The Philippines will only send two swimmers, Ryan Papa and Kathy Echeverri, the only ones to make the grade in the recent try-outs held by the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association.

Team events such as basketball, rowing and softball will have full delegations of 12 each. Fencing and shooting, where the Philippines has strong chances of winning, will have 10 members each.

More than 10,000 athletes and officials from 43 countries are due to travel to Bangkok for what has been billed as the biggest Asian Games in the event's 37-year history.

Athletes will compete for 377 gold medals in 38 events. The deadline for submitting the athletes' names to Bangkok is Nov. 5.

Sports leaders in Malaysia have said they will only send their gold medalists from last year's Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta.