PH SEAG stint, NBA Conferences Finals
By Jesus A. Garcia Jr.
UNDENIABLY, the talk now in Philippines sports is the 31st Southeast Asia Games (SEAG) and the NBA Western and Eastern Conference Finals which are now in final stages.
According to the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the world sports sanctioning body, the SEAG was initially called Southeast Asian Peninsular Games that originated in 1959 with Thailand as host, and eventually became the first champion of the games. The biennial meet was later renamed ‘Southeast Asia Games’ in 1973 (up to present), again hosed by Thailand and winning anew the overall title.
Vietnam hosted the 2003 edition and also won the overall championship. It is hosting the 31st biennial meet again today with 523 events in 40 sports (ala Olympics) and being participated in by 5,467 athletes in the region. Originally scheduled to be the held last November 21 to December 2, 2021 but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the games had to be rescheduled this year.
The biennial meet among eleven Southeast Asian nations is composed of Indonesia, the region’s thickly populated state and the six-times winner, and former overall champions Philippines, Vietnam, Singapore, Thailand and Malaysia; Cambodia, Myanmar, Brunei Darussalam, Laos and Timor Leste. The SEAG main base office is in Thailand, the pioneer host country.
As of this writing (Thursday, May 19), Vietnam leads the pack and will likely be this year’s overall champion with 118 gold, 72 silver and 69 bronze medals. Our country, the Philippines, that sent 656 of our national athletes is now third place overall with 37 gold, 45 silver and 59 bronze medals after 2015 overall winner Thailand with 46 gold, 55 silver and 73 bronze medals. Tiny city-state Singapore and Indonesia are threatening to dislodge Philippines for third place with Singapore collecting 34 gold, 36 silver and 40 bronze medals while multi-overall-winner Indonesia harvested 33 gold, 45 silver and 41 bronze medals.
I believe avid sports buffs like us are closely following the results of the daily events. And I must say I am impressed by the performance of our world gymnastic champion Carlos Yulo, harvesting this year ten gold medals and the 67-year-old former world pool champion the magician Efren “Bata” Reyes who despite winning just single bronze medal, has earned the adulation of the spectators. The aging Pampangueño world pool icon Reyes defeated Suriya Suwanasingh of Thailand, 65-58, to advance in the semis but unfortunately succumbed to host player Tran Thanh Tu Nguyen, 100-55, and settled for bronze. But I’m optimistic that Yulo might yet be cited as the most-bemedaled athlete in this year’s SEAG. Let’s wait and see.
Athletics like hurdles, sprint races, pole vault, archery, billiard, boxing, basketball (5×5) wrestling, taekwondo, weightlifting, tennis are our forte and could still be our main hope for more gold medal wins in the remaining four days of hostilities to stay in contention for the top three overall finishers. Like you my dear readers, I wish and hope our country will finish second or at least third overall, good enough for a podium finish. If not, hopefully we’ll do better in Cambodia next year, the region’s 32nd edition.
Then, in the other side of the globe, it’s Golden State Warriors over Dallas Mavericks, 112-87, in the first salvo in the Western Conference and Miami Heat over Boston Celtics, 118-107 in the Eastern Conference first round. Both conferences will be done in the best-of-seven championship series and whichever team wins in both conferences will clash for the NBA coveted title and to be considered as world champions in professional sports caging.
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QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “Likewise you younger people, submit yourselves to your elders. Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, for God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” 1 PETER 5: 5
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