Ramirez’s Bold Prediction

Thursday, November 16th, 2006

Manila Standard Today
D4 SPORTS
Wednesday, November 15, 2006

By Peter Atencio

First Gentleman Mike Arroyo will extend his support to the national athletes even after the 15th Asian Games in Doha, Qatar.

….. Ramirez said the First Gentleman assured him of his renewed support when informed that the Philippines could win five gold medals or more in the Asiad.  He told Arroyo that the gold will most likely come from billiards, bowling and the combat sports of judo, karatedo, boxing and taekwondo.

(Excerpt from Manila Standard Today)

 

229 RP athletes eye 5 Asiad golds
By Marc Anthony Reyes, June Navarro
Inquirer
Last updated 06:21am (Mla time) 10/24/2006

Published on page A21 of the October 24, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

AT THE very least, five gold medals.

This was the bold forecast of Philippine Sports Commission chair William “Butch” Ramirez after the Asiad Task Force finalized yesterday the list of 229 athletes in 31 sports for the 15th Asian Games set Dec. 1-15 in Doha, Qatar.

“It’s very hard to make a prediction, but based on our analysis in billiards, bowling and combat sports, we can get more than five,” Ramirez, also the Asiad Chef de Mission, told the Inquirer.

“We can’t really be so sure but that is very probable.”

The traditional top gold prospects are boxing, wushu, taekwondo, billiards and bowling. The PSC chief said he also expects big performances from equestrian, diving and even lawn tennis.

“There are many promising names in the delegation and this is a good sign for us because these athletes have already proven themselves in several international tournaments against the best in the world,” said Ramirez.

Completing the 351-strong RP contingent are 94 team officials, 10 medical personnel, 15 administrative staff and three Chef de Mission officers.

Deputy Chef de Mission Richie Garcia will lead the advance party of Team Philippines on Nov. 16 along with administrative officials Nestor Ilagan and Moying Martelino and the secretariat’s Carlos Mari Roque.

Thirty-one athletes from baseball, rowing, table tennis and badminton will comprise the first wave of athletes who will depart on Nov. 26.

Ramirez will lead the main batch of 99 athletes from aquatics, beach volleyball, boxing, chess, gymnastics, judo, sepak takraw, shooting, soft tennis and weightlifting. They will leave two days later.

The rest of the athletes will be leaving on a staggered basis due to limited space at the Asian Games Village, with the karate bets the last to plane in on Dec. 8.

Ramirez picked world champions Wang Wili and Rene Catalan to deliver in wushu, multiple Southeast Asian Games gold winner Shiela Mae Perez in diving, SEAG veterans Gretchen Malalad and Marna Pabillore in karatedo and Harry Tañamor in boxing.

Despite the absence of Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, Ramirez said billiards is a bright gold prospect, along with bowling.

The two sports along with equestrian delivered three golds for the country in the last Asiad in Busan, South Korea.

Paeng Nepomuceno will defend the men’s doubles gold in bowling with a new partner after old teammate RJ Bautista failed to make it to the squad.

Cue artists Antonio Gabica and Leonardo Andam will take the place of Nikoy Lining and Bustamante in 9-ball doubles, where the Filipinos are the defending champions.

Toni Leviste and Danielle Cojuangco will try to duplicate the equestrian gold won by Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski four years ago.

Other medal hopefuls are Jasmine Figueroa (archery), Thsomlee Go and Toni Rivero (taekwondo), Dianne Pascual and Heidi Ilustre (beach volleyball), Migue Molina and JB Walsh (swimming), Jethro Dionisio and Jamie Recio (shooting), John Baylon (judo), Ramon Lanza (equestrian) and Cecil Mamiit and Eric Taino (tennis).

Taken from INQ7.NET Website  http://newsinfo.inq7.net/inquirerheadlines/sports/view_article.php?article_id=28338