Philippines’ chef de mission for the 8th ASEAN Para Games, Gerardo Rosario, is keen for his athletes to prove their merit this December.
A contingent of approximately 65 athletes are expected to make their way to Singapore during the first week of December to represent Philippines in the 8th ASEAN Para Games.
The number is a far cry from the 466-strong group the nation sent in for the recently concluded 28th SEA Games. However, Gerardo Rosario, Philippines’ chef de mission (CDM) for the upcoming Para Games, is quietly confident his athletes will be able to match the gold medal haul his compatriots achieved during the SEA Games.
“Internally, we’ve always wanted to out-do what the able-bodied has achieved in the Philippines. I think the able-bodied athletes got 29 gold medals at the last SEA Games, and we want to go higher than 29,” Rosario, who was also CDM at the 7th ASEAN Para Games where Philippines secured 20 gold medals, shared.
“We can do very well in swimming and table tennis. We’ll definitely get some in athletics. We would like to have our basketball team go up in standing. In Myanmar [2014], we were third, and we would like to go up to second.”
Having worked with the Philippines Sports Association for the Differently Abled for more than six years, Rosario has been at the forefront of a growing para sports scene. While he acknowledged that further financial support would certainly be welcome, the Filipino CDM shared that the government had already begun taking steps in the right direction.
“In the next few months, our law for sports incentives is going to change, which will include Paralympic athletes. At one point, Paralympic athletes were excluded from the national incentive act. It has already passed the lower house, so that is a very good indication of where para sport will be in the next few years,” he stated.
With one eye on the 2016 Paralympic Games, Rosario also spoke frankly about the obstacles standing in the way of Southeast Asian para-athletes hoping to qualify for a berth in Rio de Janeiro.
“For example, [ASEAN Para Games] swimming, which is an IPC (International Paralympic Committee)-accredited meet, is very important to us because the cost of going to Europe or the United States is very high. We were hoping there would be more IPC- accredited sports, but I know the costs sometimes prohibits that,” he related.
“We need more pathway meets in Asia or Southeast Asia. Most of the pathway meets are in Europe or the United States, and that takes a big chunk of our budget. “
As it stands, there is much at stake for the Filipino contingent contesting the impending Para Games. Nevertheless, Rosario is looking forward to what he believes will be a landmark regional meet.
“I think every time Singapore runs it, it’s very close to international standards. That’s important because it does ensure that there’s fairness in the officiating and in the infrastructure. You get something that is as close to the Olympic Games as possible,” he surmised.
Source: Alison Chin for SAPGOC
