by Waylon Galvez
Team Philippines Chef de Mission Monsour del Rosario wants to have athletes capable of winning medals for the national team and not for exposure in this year’s Southeast Asian Games.
Del Rosario, a one-time Olympian, said that they already informed the various national sports associations of these criteria that will be followed in the selection process for the SEA Games.
Team Philippines Chef de Mission Monsour del Rosario, middle, strikes a pose with his deputy CDMs Stephen Fernandez, left, and Charlie Ho, right, as they give updates on the criteria in the selection process of athletes for the national team in the 30th Southeast Asian Games here this year. (Waylon Galvez)
“In the selection of athletes, our priority is for people who can deliver the gold medals for the country,” Del Rosario said Tuesday in an interview with sportswriters at the Sheraton Hotel.
“Because in the SEA Games, labanan yan ng gold medal, and since we have the control on sports and events, we have an advantage as the host country. As host we can structure the competition,” he added.
In the criteria, sports under the Philippine Olympic Committee will have athletes that have won medals in the 2017 Malaysia SEA Games, 2018 Jakarta Asian Games, world championships and other credible international competitions, individual best record that is competitive of the gold medalist and other criteria to be determined by the CDM.
As for sports not under the POC, the CDM will determine the selection as per the recommendation of team managers of the sports.
The country will be hosting the biennial event for the fourth time, and first in 14 years or since the Philippines last staged the SEA Games in 2005 when it bagged the overall title for the first time.
A total of 56 sports disciplines have already been approved by the Southeast Asian Games Federation for the November 30 to December 11 meet and athletes are now in the process of trying to earn a spot to the national team.
As the Chef de Mission, one of del Rosario’s roles is to evaluate and choose the athletes that will make up the national team. Helping him is former Olympian and taekwondo teammate Stephen Fernandez and legal counsel Atty. Charlie Ho and his deputy CDMs.
Del Rosario added that he has also asked approval from the POC as he appointed Ada Milby of rugby as his third deputy CDM.
The different NSAs will have to submit by the number on Friday the participating athletes for the SEA Games set by SEA Games Federation. By September 2, the submission of entries will be by names.
Del Rosario said that as CDM representing the POC, he would be working with Philippine Sports Commission officials led by Guillermo Iroy to form the SEA Games Task Force starting with the selection of athletes and to the competition proper itself of the games.
“I’ll be working with almost the same people I worked with during AIMAG,” del Rosario said.
The former actor is referring to the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Turkmenistan where Team Philippines went with a record 13 medals, including three gold medals courtesy of weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz and Meggie Ochoa and Annie Ramirez of jiu-jitsu.
“What I would like is for all of us to work hand in hand and to make our country shine by December 12. Let’s just work for the result of the SEA Games for the country,” said del Rosario, a bronze medalist in the 1985 World Championship in Korea.
Tags: #SEAG2019 , Annie Ramirez , Asian Games , Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games , Guillermo Iroy , Monsour del Rosario , National Sports Association , Philippine Olympic Committee , Philippine Sports Commission , Stephen Fernandez , Weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz
