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POC eyes 1,200-man delegation for 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia

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ABS-CBN News

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) signified the urgency to meet with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) as they begin the country&#x27;s preparations for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia in May.“Hopefully, we’ll be officially meeting with the PSC not later than Wednesday next week to get the task rolling,” said baseball association head Chito Loyzaga, Team Philippines’ chef de mission to the SEA Games, scheduled May 5 to 17.POC President Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino assigned deputy secretary general Bones Floro to make arrangements with the PSC, specifically with the office of chairman Richard “Dickie” Bachmann.Loyzaga’s staff is in the process of finalizing Team Philippines’ entry by numbers to the Cambodia SEA Games organizers, which set a Saturday deadline.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/07/14/22/ph-to-host-sea-games-again-in-2033">PH to host SEA Games again in 2033</a></li></ul>But on top of complying with the deadline, Loyzaga echoed Tolentino’s goal of Team Philippines participating in “all events possible” in the Cambodia program.“The POC objective is to participate in all events possible, there’s no issue there,” said Loyzaga after the POC Executive Board meeting at the Knights Templar Ridge Hotel in Tagaytay City on Thursday. “That’s our mindset, the CDM staff and the entire organization.”Cambodia programmed 608 events in 49 sports, far bigger than the 530 events in 56 sports in the 2019 edition hosted by the Philippines, and the 526 events in 40 sports held in Vietnam last year.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/sports/01/11/23/poc-chief-braces-for-tough-fight-in-cambodia-sea-games">POC chief braces for tough fight in Cambodia SEA Games</a></li></ul>“With that goal, we’re looking at a more than 800-athlete delegation and a total delegation of 1,200—counting the coaches, medical and administrative staff,” Loyzaga said.Based on national budget appropriations for this year, P250 million was allocated for the SEA Games preparation and participation.“That’s one of our main concerns with the PSC. After we have finalized the entry by numbers, we’ll be ready for some pencil-pushing and calculation and come up with an actual cost,” he said.Loyzaga said that with the PSC board already constituted with a quorum of a chairman and three commissioners, he is confident that discussions on the Cambodia SEA Games could be done swiftly.POC officials have yet to sit down with their PSC counterparts with Tolentino and the newly-appointed Bachmann meeting in a courtesy dinner over the weekend.Loyzaga said projections on Team Philippines’ performance in Cambodia are still bleak but stressed the fourth-place finish in Vietnam last year is the benchmark.“As a former athlete, I aim to win, always go for the win. But you can’t win all the time,” he said. “It will be a tough challenge in Cambodia.”

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) signified the urgency to meet with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) as they begin the country's preparations for the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia in May.