Disabled athletes seek government sports agency's support

Disabled athletes are hoping to get enough funding from the Philippine Sports Commission for their ASEAN Para Games campaign in November 2011 in Indonesia.

Philippine Sports Association for the Differently Abled president Michael Barredo believes these special athletes need training and exposure. These are athletes who competed in the Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, China, recently.

But the squad failed to live up to its prediction of winning five gold medals. The Pinoy bets went home with only four silvers and three bronze medals.

“We failed to achieve our target, but we realized the level of competition has tremendously improved to a higher level," said Barredo.

Powerlifters Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta and Achelle Guion joined trackster Isidro Vildosola and table tennis player Josephin Medina in providing the Philippines the silver medals, while Anna Grace Abeto and Roger Tapia of athletics and Daniel Damaso Jr. of swimming bagged the bronze medals.

The Philippines competed in only seven sports disciplines. Our bets from judo, tenpin bowling and cycling went home empty-handed.

“The old practice of preparing our athletes for just three months prior to a competition is not advisable now. We have seen our rivals like Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam way ahead of us, as they receive tremendous support for their training," added Barredo.

But Barredo believes that the Philippines can still catch up with its SEA rivals given the proper funding.

The Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) has alloted P400 million for the training of national athletes for the SEA Games next year. Barredo is hoping a portion will be given to them, if only to cover training expenses. - KY, RCJ, GMANews.TV