Ramirez, Castillo to grace Scoop Forum
Credit to Author: EDDIE G. ALINEA| Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2019 16:15:36 +0000
How the Philippines will fare in the coming Southeast Asian Games will be assessed at this week’s Scoop On Air Forum on Friday, exactly a fortnight before the 30th edition of the biennial meet raises its curtains on November 30 at the cavernous Philippine Arena in Bocaue, Bulacan.
Philippine Sports Commission chair William “Butch Ramirez, whose agency has been tasked with overseeing preparations for the biggest sporting show the country is hosting in 65 years since the 1954 Asian Games, will appear as principal guest in the Talakayan to be aired over The Manila Times TV.
Ramirez, who was also named the national contingent’s chef de mission, the same position he held in 2005 when the country last hosted the Games and finished with then overall championship, is expected to, once and for all, clear the picture on contradicting reports of how our athletes will perform.
Media reports quoting several sports officials had it that the host country is capable of scooping up 100 or so gold medals on the way to, again, romp off with the general championship.
Only last week, other high ranking sports leaders were even quoted of our representatives winning a seemingly improbable 200-gold medal harvest, which could be the highest by the Filipinos in their 42-year participation since 1977.
Claims that other sectors of society, including media itself, had contradicted.
Also invited to appear as guest is Lester Castillo, Nestle Philippines’ Milo sports director, one of the biggest supporters of the country’s sports development program since the mid-1960s.
Castillo will be informing the public of Milo’s contributions to sports, including offering incentives to athletes, who have carried the country’s flag in global competitions and the coming SEA Games.
Including the 92 gold medals the Lydia de Vega and Eric Buhain-led PH delegation brought home in 1992 edition of the Games and the 113 their successors won in 2005, the Philippines has so far won 918 gold medals, fourth best behind pacesetting Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia.
The Thais, the leaders of the pack since the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games (SEAP), biennial conclave’s former name, have amassed a total 2,162 gold mint software since 1959, followed by the Indonesians’ 1,752, also since 1977 like the Philippines, and the Malaysians’ 1,248.
Counting the 1,076 silver and the 1,357 bronze haul, the Philippines is ranked third in the total medal production with 3,351 next only to the Thais’ 5,810 and the 5,041.