By Veronica Uy
INQUIRER.net
BEIJING, China -- Fifteen Filipino athletes will strive to get the first Olympic gold for the Philippines in the 29th Olympics here, an official said.
Joey Romasanta, press officer of the Philippine sports delegation, said the country's hopes were pinned on boxer Harry Tanamor, shooter Eric Ang, female diver Sheila Mae Perez, and the two tae-kwondo jins.
"Here in the Olympic Village, you will see, literally, a sea of the world's best athletic specimens and it's easy to be intimidated just by how they look. We just ask [the Filipino Olympians] to do their best," Romasanta said in an interview over the phone.
"Sila naman, fight [And they are raring to fight]. They did not come here unprepared. They went through a series of tournaments," he said, noting that shooter Ang is one of the world's 33 top shooters.
The other Filipino athletes will participate in swimming (five), diving (male), archery, and weight-lifting (female).
Romasanta said shooter Ang might not join the parade this evening as he would already start competing Saturday morning, August 9.
"It would be difficult for him because he may tire from standing and waiting at the holding area for the parade of athletes," he said.
Romasanta also admitted that the smog, which in the Olympic Village has reduced visibility to just two kilometers, has been a "serious concern."
"The weather has been agreeable, not muggy and windy. But we don't know how it will affect our athletes," he said.
The closest that the Philippines got to an Olympic gold, he said, was in 1996, not 1988 as posted, when boxer Onyok Velasco won a silver.
"We also won a gold in bowling that time, but bowling was just a demo sport then," Romasanta said.
Despite all the competition, Romasanta said the 15 Filipino athletes here have been told to do their best and go for any medal.
"With a little luck and a lot of dasal [prayer], we hope to do so," he said.
You can catch the latest updates from the special website on Beijing 2008 Olympics of the INQUIRER.net and Agence France-Presse.
15 RP athletes eye gold in Beijing
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Philippines have no chance for gold in the Olympics right now,Magkaroon sana tayo ng decent sports program na mageexcel tayo.Ang may decent program lang ay basketball and recently badminton which wala tayong representative.Di na kailangang kumuha ng mga Fil-Am we can excel in swimming bumilib lang tayo sa local product yung mga Fil-am swimmer panapon lang sa Amerika yung mga yan.Promotion lang ang malakas sa kanila
I think it is the government ang dapat sisihin kung walang medal ang Pinas. Walang magandang programa saka baka sinauna pa ang training ng mga atleta natin. Hindi mo sasabihin dahil sa racial differences bakit ang Thailand, Skorea at Japan puro Asyano yan. Wala yatang strategy ang Phil Sports Committee.
I agree with most of the comments listed here. What the Philippines lack is a comprehensive intense training program for our athletes... (includes funding, looking for the right talent in the right places).
If the government is really serious, they should look for talents in endurance events, like weightlifting, long distance swimming, walking, sync swimming.
Where can they find these type of talents, go to the countryside. Look for people who live by the ocean whose inhabitants for sure are good swimmers... long distance swimmers.
Magandang araw sa lahat, Agree din ako sa mga puntos and opinion ninyo…
The Olympic has just started and will end soon… and we are almost done, and bring home nothing… AGAIN!!!…
China, South Korea, USA and other country are spending too much money for sports activities… they wanted to be always as competitive as possible and bring their nation to be known worldwide with this type of events… not just with some negative issues… as our country has known nowadays… as #1 most corrupt country in Asia and maybe in the next few years, when Arroyo still there… #1 in the world…
These countries were scouting and training their athletes at young age… and I guess it’s free and with some allowances… all they need to do is exposed and explore their talents, spent their time to sports which they want and love most… for their family and for their country…
Look at our boxing heroes… perhaps, these heroes are not even gone to colleges or universities to train and join all competitions to be discovered… but still, they excel to their skills and talent and they became our national treasure… they bring success and honor to our country…
These boxing hero’s are just physically fit… as they are not interested to sit in classrooms… and I believed, even our basketball superstar too… some of them did not finished their college course… they just love sports and play their games…
The reality is… only the rich and average family’s could bring and enrolled their children to colleges and university to be trained and discovered… and some at early stages as kids who got enrolled to some sports program and athletic events which requires certain fees…
Let’s give each and everyone a chance to be discovered and bring honor to their family and country at no cost… from less fortunate sports minded people to the World of Sports through physical abilities… to brilliant minded people to the world of Academic through mental abilities…
I believed that there are lots of people out there who want to be discovered… with dreams and visions to bring hope and triumph for their family and to our country… and they needed to be discovered…
Our government should appoint a good leader, with no political ambition, no selfish ideas and especially with sense of humiliation and conscience… but a man of nationalistic and sports minded…
We have been sending a lot of basketball teams abroad, even our own superstars, but they ended up weeping, brings home nothing but only with their own balls…
We should spend sports budget to scout a potential sportsman or sportswoman nationwide, even to a remote rural areas… I’m sure there are people like that in those places, with out any capacity, financially or connections to any sports body in the government, to assist them explore and exposed their talent…
Schools and university sports tournaments are not enough to discover the hidden talents of a person… there are gifted and capable sports minded out there who can’t afford to stay in colleges… and these people should be scouted and discovered…
I believed that there are lots of people out there who want to be discovered… with dreams and visions to bring hope and triumph for their family and to our country… and they needed to be discovered…
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But we don't know how it will affect our athletes," he said.
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I agree with most of the comments listed here. What the Philippines lack is a comprehensive intense training program for our athletes... (includes Ginault Watches, funding, looking for the right talent in the right places).
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