RP to send 782 athletes to Games

JAKARTA (JP): The Philippines will send 782 athletes to the coming 19th SEA Games here, the second largest group after Indonesia.

There will be 476 men and 306 women in the Philippine team which will be led by Christina M. Ramos Jalasco, president of the Philippine National Olympic Committee.

Christina's father is President Fidel Ramos.

Indonesia will field 916 athletes, 530 men and 386 women. Thailand will have the third largest team with 705 (400-305), followed by Malaysia 549 (367-182), Singapore 446 (297-149), Vietnam 397 (212-185), Myanmar 394 (212-182), Brunei Darussalam 296 (220-76), Laos 99 (67-32) and Cambodia 83 (81-2).

Brunei's contingent will be lead by a SEA Games Federation council member, Dato Seri Paduka Hj Awang Moh. Jusuf.

The number of athletes from the 10 participating countries is based on Games organizing committee registration figures.

"It is possible that there will be a change in the number of athletes since the final registration will be by name not numbers," a SEA Games organizing committee said Thursday.

Of the 4,667 athletes, 1,786 are women, there are also 1,934 officials (1,615 men and 319 women). The total number of athletes and officials will be 6,601 people.

Athletes and officials will be accommodated at two separate hotels, Hotel Century Park and Hotel Mulia. Both hotels are in Senayan.

Ekodjatmiko Sukarso, the organizing committee secretary, said Indonesia had prepared 700 liaison officers for the Games.

"The liaison officers will serve everything required by the foreign athletes and officials. They have not only mastered the English language but also the languages of the participating countries," Ekodjatmiko said as quoted by Kompas. (lnt)