Pre-SEAG events urged as part of Phl buildup
The incoming chief of mission of Team Philippines in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games is proposing the staging of mini tournaments as part of the overall buildup for the hosting of the biennial joust.
Makati Rep. Monsour del Rosario said the pre-SEAG meets will help prepare not only the athletes who will be seeking to reclaim lost glory in the 11-country games but also the people who will run the show in the actual competitions.
“We should hold pocket tournaments before 2019 to see if our organization committee and workforce can handle an international competition and be ready for 2019 and see if our venues and facilities will be okay,” said Del Rosario.
Aquatics, racquet sports, combat sports and athletics will be ideal for the pre-SEA Games tournaments, he said.
“We can invite a couple of countries and gauge our opponents and see which events we will strongly propose to the SEA Games Federation for inclusion,” he said.
A former taekwondo star, Del Rosario stressed the importance of giving the Filipino athletes all they needed to strike gold again after languishing in sixth in the recent SEAG.
“Our athletes really need good training facilities, respectable competition venues, proper nutrition, foreign exposure to size up their skills and how they can match up with rivals, and good training stint in the best countries in the world for their specific sports,” he said.