TARGET: 60
BANGKOK—The 33rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games formally open on Tuesday at Rajamangala Stadium here, with Team Philippines maintaining no illusions of competing for the overall title.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, who had earlier said he would be content with at least exceeding the gold haul from two years ago, gave a ballpark figure that could be considered a satisfying campaign.
“If we can get at least 60 golds, that would be okay,” Tolentino told Manila-based reporters following a meeting of the SEA Games Federation Council on the eve of the formal opening of the biennial meet.
Team Philippines will parade 200 athletes and officials for the opening rites that will see tennis sensation Alex Eala and Alas Pilipinas volleyball standout Bryan Bagunas share the role of flag bearers.
Eala and Bagunas were among the new batch of athletes who arrived on Monday from Manila, with another group set to touch down here on the day of the opening. The newcomers’ participation in the rites will likely be shelved due to tightened security arrangements in place for the attendance of Vajiralongkorn, the King of Thailand.
Tolentino said he won’t be joining the opening rites to give way to more athlete participation.
“That’s their moment; the opening is for them,” he said.
The Filipinos claimed 58 golds, 85 silvers and 117 bronzes in the 2023 Games in Cambodia and the count could rise given the record number of athletes here for the competition.
Those 58 wins represented a six-gold improvement from the pandemic-delayed 2021 edition three years ago in Hanoi. The Philippines’ record gold haul in the Games remains 149 during its hosting in 2019.
While preparations for the opening were being finalized, action continued on Monday for the early birds at the Games, with men’s baseball cruising to a 21-0 rout of Malaysia after five innings in Pathum Thani.
3-0 win
The Filipino batters improved to 3-0 as they continue to gear up for their expected showdown with Thailand for the gold, with the hosts fielding some Thai American or Thai Japanese players.
Thailand likewise won three in a row to begin its bid to wrest back the gold it last won in 2007 at home in Nakhon Ratchasima.
“We have our eyes on them, but we also know that they have their eyes on us,” said coach Orlando Binarao.
They play Vietnam on Tuesday, while the women’s T-10 and men’s T-20 cricket teams open their respective campaigns—the only games on the slate for Team Philippines before the opening.
