Topic: Pia Cayetano rips ‘defeatist’ PSC, POC for planned small contingent to 2013 SEA

[pspyrock]

Time to replace Peping Cojuangco and let MVP handle sports development in the country.





"Senator Pia Cayetano on Monday lambasted the Philippine Sports Commission and the Philippine Olympic Committee for their plan to send only a small contingent of athletes in to the 2013 Southeast Asian Games under a narrow criteria.

In a privilege speech, Cayetano said that the PSC owes it to the Senate, which as part of Congress approves the annual budget of the agency, to explain its plans for Philippine sports.

Cayetano in particular wants the PSC to justify its decision, along with the POC, to narrow its criteria for athletes to send to the SEA Games based on gold medal chances.

“Let us not rob Philippine sports of its future. Let us give the Filipino athlete a fighting chance,” she said.

The SEA Games will be held from December 11 to 22 in Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon, Mandalay and Ngwe Saung Beach in Myanmar. Philippine sport officials have decided to send, in their words, a “lean and mean” contingent to the games.

“According to media reports, the POC is using a ‘performance-specific’ criteria to determine the final list of athletes competing in December,” Cayetano said.

Cayetano added that under the criteria, “only athletes who have won gold medals in the 2011 SEA Games, and those who have the potential to do so are included in this year’s list of delegates.”

“With all due respect to the POC, something is fatally flawed in the criteria’s logic. In one clean sweep, our policy now is to shut the doors for developing national athletes who could be in contention for just the silver or bronze this year, but may develop their skills and become gold medallists in the future,” Cayetano said.

“And who could precisely say whether these athletes are ready to compete for gold in Myanmar or not, when they weren’t even given the chance in the first place? Sadly, we will never know, since we’ve already robbed them of the opportunity to compete at all. And if they do miss out on gold, don’t silvers and bronzes mean anything? It’s saying to our athletes: ‘It’s the gold or nothing.’ That silver or a
bronze in the SEA Games amounts to nothing in our own narrow appreciation of the medal tally.”

Cayetano said that Filipino athletes are the victims of the policy.

“I find this latest policy of our two sports governing bodies unacceptable and defeatist. As a sports enthusiast and former national athlete, I know for a fact that an athlete thrives in competition. Proper training, practice and discipline can enhance an athlete’s skills, but it is in actual competition where the athlete can fully blossom to develop his or her potential, and even surpass his or her previous performance,” she said.

“This biennial sports meet is considered a critical honing ground for our national athletes. This is where we compete with the best athletes from 10 other Southeast Asian countries to determine our standing in our very own region.

“More importantly, the SEA Games is considered the springboard for the bigger arena, including the Asian Games and the Olympics, as well as prestigious regional and international sporting events.”
http://www.interaksyon.com/interaktv/pia-cayetano-rips-defeatist-psc-poc-for-planned-small-contingent-to-2013-sea-games

[leightot]

yang PSC talamak din corruption dyan. They dont give the right budget for our athletes not enough training, sending unknows para tipid sa fee sending minimum deligates for less gastos! hayup.