SEA Games now, Asian Games next?
By Gerry Ramos

SOUTHEAST Asian Games now, Asian Games next.

On the day the 23rd edition of the biennial meet formally came to a close Monday, the country’s top sports officials said Filipino athletes should begin training their sights on next year’s Asiad set in Doha, Qatar.

The show of confidence came barely hours after the host clinched its first SEA Games title in 28 years in a noteworthy performance dubbed `Golden Drive in 05’ and spiked by 113 gold – the Filipino’s highest total ever in the meet - 84 silver and 94 bronze medals.

The finish was the best for the country since the so-called `Miracle of 91,’ when the Filipinos came a little short of bagging the overall title the last time they hosted the meet.

President Macapagal-Arroyo led the colorful closing rites of the meet at the Quirino Grandstand, praising all athletes and officials for the warm friendship, camaraderie and sportsmanship they’ve shown during the course of the two-week long sports gathering.

“The sportsmanship shown by all the competitors mark the collective excellence of ASEAN as a slid region sharing a proud heritage,” she said. “I now declare the 23rd Southeast Asian games closed.

After the meet’s sacred fire was extinguished and the Federation flag was lowered, the First Gentleman Mike Arroyo, the Chef de Mission of Team Philippines, along with Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose `Peping’ Cojuangco Jr. handed over the SEA Games flag to Thai Deputy Prime Minister Suwat Lapatapanlop, Thailand being the next host of the 2007 event.

The 20-gold medal haul in Day 2 of competitions actually sparked off the country’s campaign and later capped the surge by bagging a record 23 in the penultimate day of the meet held in main hub Manila and three satellite venues.

The host went gold-less at the close of the region’s sporting spectacle as the RP chess team (standard event) finished with a silver medal each behind Vietnam.

But that didn’t diminish the glow of the Filipinos’ successful drive to the top.

“I think we should start looking forward to the Asian Games. The Filipino athletes had already proven themselves in this SEA Games and having done that, I believe we should no longer go back to being kulelats,” said national training director Michael Keon.

Cojuangco said winning the SEA Games’ overall championship is the first step in the country’s long-standing bid to win its very first Olympic gold medal.

“Gutum na gutom ang mga atleta natin, and I hope our success in this SEA Games will awaken the country’s sports consciousness. Our victory here will help us get ready for the Asian Games and eventually, the Olympics, where we hope to win our first gold medal in 2008 in Beijing,” said Cojuangco, also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Philippine SEA Games Organizing Committee (Philsoc).

The country won three gold medals in the Busan Asiad in 2002 courtesy of bowlers Paeng Nepomuceno and RJ Bautista (men’s doubles), billiard great Francisco `Django’ Bustamante and Antonio Lining (9-ball doubles) and equestrienne Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski.

“Well, the Asian Games first in Doha which will be in December of 2006. Pagkatapos sa 2007 Southeast Asian Games na naman sa Thailand. Lahat ito will lead up to 2008 Olympics,” said Cojuangco.

The 743-strong Filipino athletes to the SEA Games did look ready for the bigger battles ahead the way they dominated the 40 events at stake in the meet by copping at least one-fourth of the 439 gold medals disputed.

Wushu contributed the most in the RP gold mine by winning 11 followed by aquatics (9), athletics (9), billiards and snooker (8), boxing (8), taekwondo (6), the surprising traditional boat race (6), wrestling (5), fencing (5), bowling (4) and judo (4).

The rest of the golds came from archery (3), arnis (3), karatedo (3), muay (3), rowing (3), shooting (3), tennis (3), softball (2), bodybuilding (2), cycling (2), dancesport (2), golf (2), gymnastics (2) and one each from baseball, equestrian, lawnbowls, pencak silat and sailing.

Eleven sports – water polo, badminton, canoe/kayak, chess, football, petanque, sepak takraw, squash, table tennis, triathlon, volleyball and weightlifting – failed to win golds.

Only badminton and football went home without a medal.

Then there were those individuals who stood out in their respective fields.

Sheila Mae Perez won three gold medals in diving (3-m springboard synchronized, 3-m springboard individual and 1-m springboard), so did former world 9-ball champion Alex Pagulayan in billiards and snooker (snooker team, 9-ball doubles and 8-ball singles), rower Benjie Tolentino (single sculls, men’s pair and men double sculls) and swimmer Miguel Molina (400-m individual medley, 200-m individual medley and 200-me breastroke).

A number of athletes likewise emerged double gold medalists led by wushu artists Willy Wang, Vicky Ting and Aida Young, billiards’ Ronnie Alcano and Ruvelyn Amit, netters Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino, gymnasts Roel Ramirez, shooter Paul Bryan Rosario, golfer Juvic Pagunsan and the men and women’s teams of traditional dragon boat.

Adding luster to the host’s bid was the two-record breaking feats pulled off in athletics by Henry Dagmil (long jump) and Arneil Ferrera (hammer throw).

All their efforts won’t be without rewards.

A total of P16 million in incentives under RA9064 will be given out by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to all SEA Games medalists.

Add to it the Hong Kong trip promised by the First Gentleman to all gold medal winners in the event the country wins the overall title.

“Oo, kaya nga ako nandito para i-confirm ko sa kanila na dadalhin ko silang lahat sa Hong Kong,” said Arroyo, also the Chef de Mission of Team Philippines, Sunday during the gold medal match between RP and Indonesia, which the Blu Boys won, 3-2.

SEA GAMES PHILIPPINES [http://www.2005seagames.com.ph/]