The Philippines will send 814 athletes to the 32nd Southeast Asian Games slated May 5 to 16 in Cambodia next year, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said Tuesday.
“It’s again a fighting team and the goal is to send the best full contingent as possible,” Tolentino said after the second consultative meeting with SEAG-bound National Sports Associations (NSAs) at the East Ocean Garden Restaurant in Pasay City.
The POC had met with officials from combat sports or martial arts last week and Monday’s meeting was attended by representatives from ball games and other sports.
Also present during the two meetings were baseball president Chito Loyzaga, appointed Team Philippines chef de mission to the Cambodia SEAG, and his deputies Leonora Escollante of canoe kayak and Paolo Tancongquian of sambo.
A total of 608 gold medals are at stake in the 49 sports calendared in the Cambodia SEA Games.
The number of entries in each sport are: arnis (12), athletics (47), aquatics (39), badminton (16), basketball (32), bodybuilding (15), billiards (12), boxing (11), dancesports (12), esports (45), fencing (24), fin swimming (9), aerobics and artistic gymnastics (13), jet ski (8), obstacle sports (20), sailing (8), triathlon (10), diving (2), bodybuilding (15), cycling (28), weightlifting (14), water polo (26), cricket (15), floorball (40), football (46), golf (7), hockey (24), petanque (16), soft tennis (12), sepak takraw (22), table tennis (10), tennis (12), volleyball (28), beach volleyball (16), jiujitsu (6), judo (10), karate (19), kickboxing (12), kun bokator (9), muay (14), pencak silat (17), taekwondo (25), vovinam (28), wrestling (18) and wushu (20).
As host, Cambodia has included two indigenous sports—Kun Bokator, a martial art practices by ancient Khmer military, and Ouk Chatrang, also a Khmer chess game. These offer 21 and six gold medals, respectively.
The 2019 Manila SEAG had the most number of sports at 56 but with 530 events. The 2022 Vietnam Games features 526 events in 40 sports while the 1999 edition in Brunei only has 233 events in 22 sports. (PNA)
