PH slashes 2021 Vietnam SEA Games delegation by half

Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino announced on Thursday, February 18, that the country will only be sending 560 athletes to the 2021 Vietnam Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

This is close to half of the country’s biggest delegation of 1,115 athletes in its staging of the 2019 SEA Games, where the Philippines claimed the overall championship.

The athletes will be competing in 520 events in 38 out of the 40 sports included in the regional biennial meet that will be held from November 21 to December 2 in Hanoi.

But Tolentino also disclosed that the number of delegates may still change as the number was just based on the entries by number culled from discussions with the various national sports associations early this week.

“The basis of selection primarily hinged on those athletes who won medals [of any color] in the 2019 SEA Games that we hosted,” Tolentino said. “We also looked at events where the potential of winning the gold medal is very high, as justified by an athlete or athletes performance in 2019.”

The Vietnam organizing committee set a March 21 deadline for the submission of entries by number, while the deadline for the entries by name is in August.

The list was presented and approved by the POC executive board which met on Thursday afternoon at the East Ocean Seafoods Restaurant in Parañaque City. – Rappler.com