With the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh and the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on the horizon for the Philippines, POC president Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino believes that the organization's collaboration with the recently appointed PSC head Richard "Dickie" Bachmann will be essential.
Despite the burden, Tolentino is adamant that objectives can be met with the assistance of stakeholders and the PSC's collaboration with Bachmann.
Bachmann previously worked for his old Philippine Basketball Association team, Alaska, before accepting the PSC position.
Tolentino maintains that host Cambodia will compete with the SEA Games' traditional top three contenders for those spots, and the Philippines will be under pressure to match its fourth-place finish at the Hanoi Games last year.
However, even if the Philippines falls short of its anticipated finish in Phnom Penh, the POC leader promised that the gold medals in basketball for teams of five and three would be won.
For the SEA Games, which run from May 5 to May 17, more than 800 competitors will be assigned to compete in Phnom Penh.
Tolentino stated that complete participation is the key to earning medals.
“We will send entries to sports that we are not familiar with. But we will train them so they can be competitive,” Tolentino said.
Six hundred eight gold medals will be up for grabs in 49 different sports, according to the host nation of Cambodia.
The Asian Games are scheduled to take place in China from September 23 through October 8, just a few months after the SEA Games.
Tolentino is worried about the SEA Games but overly optimistic about the Asian Games.
In addition to Phnom Penh and Hangzhou, Filipino athletes, the POC, and the PSC are preparing for the FIBA World Cup, the FIFA Women's World Cup, the Asian Swimming and BMX Championships, the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Championships at the end of the year, as well as numerous Olympic qualifying events for Paris 2024.(Romeo Braceros Jr.)
Photo: Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino
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