Cambodia 2023 – Author Carlo Carrasco

Cebu-based SEA Games medalists Remolino and Alcoseba win Sprint Elite titles of the 2024 National Age Group Triathlon Subic Bay Freeport race

January 30, 2024January 29, 2024carlocarrasco

The Cebu-based Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) medalists Andrew Kim Remolino and Raven Fatih Alcoseba outclassed their rivals to win the Sprint Elite titles during the Subic Bay Freeport Zone leg of the 2024 National Age Group Triathlon (NAGT) series which was held at the Boardwalk area.

Remolino, who won a silver medal during the 2022 Vietnam SEA Games, won the 750 meter swim – 20 kilometer bike – 5 kilometer run contest in 56 minutes and 56 seconds followed by fellow Cebuano Matthew Justine Hermosa, (56:57) and Joshua Ramos of Baguio Benguet Triathlon (57:31).

“I had a good preparation for this tournament, so I am happy with my performance,” said the 23-year-old Remolino, who placed third behind Fil-Spanish Fernando Casares and Hermosa last year.

Despite his runner-up finish again, Hermosa managed to improve his 57:34 performance last year.

“I’m glad that I was able to set a personal best time. It’s a very close race and I know that Kim is my biggest challenge,” said the 5-foot-11 Hermosa, who together with Kira Ellis, Erika Nicole Burgos and Iñaki Lorbes, won the relay gold medal in aquathlon (500m swim and 2.5km run) at the 2023 Cambodia SEA Games.

Hermosa, Dayshaun Ramos, Sam Corpuz and Kira Ellis also attended a 26-day training camp at the Rio Maior Sports Center in Portugal last year.

Alcoseba, a 2022 SEA Games medalist, clocked 1:03:55 to secure her third straight women’s title in the tournament organized by Triathlon Philippines headed by Ramon Marchan in cooperation with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA).

Erika Nicole Burgos submitted 1:05:39 to capture the silver medal while Kira Ellis took the bronze medal in 1:06:16.

”I tried to keep a positive attitude throughout the race. I’m happy to win again,” said the 21-year-old Alcoseba, a 3rd year civil engineering student at the De La Salle University.

Meanwhile, Dayshaun Ramos clocked 58 minutes and 44 seconds to pocket the gold medal in the men’s junior elite category. Darell Johnson Bada got the silver medal in 1:00:11 and Juan Miguel Tayag secured the bronze medal in 1:01:14.

Singaporean Janelle Susatra (1:07:17) won the women’s title over Erin Denise Burgos (1:16:33) and Adrian Ungos (1:19:53).

The winners in the standard distance age group were as follows: (Men’s 18-24) – George Vincent Alcido of Baguio Benguet Triathlon (2:16:30), Mark Joshua Perez of Gas Coaching (2:17:35) and Derek Jacob Villa of CM Riptide (2:32:52); (Men’s 25-29) – Edward Macalalad of Royal MNL/UPLB Tranrados (2:05:39), Jigo Libiran of The Usuals (2:33:37) and Carlos Daniel Dungao of Triclark Volvo Triathlon Team (2:36:43); (Men’s 30-34) – Reynante Briones of TRISNDBARRACUDA (2:33:55), Juan Gabriel Peña of Subic Bay Multisports (2:34:26) and Tristan Santos (2:34:59); (Men’s 35-39) – Benjamin Ramirez (2:27:40), Arnold Hoyo-A of Tri Vatan/BRC (2:35:21) and Iggy Hizon of Baguio Benguet Triathlon (2:47:41);

(Men’s 40-44) – Stanley Ng of Baguio Benguet Triathlon (2:28:56), Jason Santos of Team Megawide (2:36:25) and Stephen Corpus of Century Trihard (2:49:49); (Men’s 45-49) – Robert Jonah Rivera (2:49:41), Greg Bravo of Tri Busko (2:53:25) and Mickael Bouffaut of Sante Barley Tri Team (2:57:18); (Men’s 50-54) – Rene Ricardo Tayag of Tri Clark Triathlon Team (2:19:23), Hiroshi Takei of Team Honu (2:25:34) and Alexander Isip of Team Megawide (2:34:00); (Men’s 55-59) – Emmanuel Mondero of Team Megawide (2:37:25), Ronald Allan Ginez of Paynet-Amigo Tri (2:48:11) and Jonathan Tansengco (2:56:37); and (Men’s 60 and over) – Ed Francisco of Polo Tri (2:59:50) and Josef Gueta (3:21:53).

The podium finishers in the women’s division were as follows: (18-34) – Shamira Habie of Tri-Generals (3:04:49) and Daryl Mooney of Team Mooney (3:28:45); (35-49) – Maryfel Aumentado of Cheryauto PH Tri Team (2:48:42) and Kristine Mae Tan of The Next Step Tri (3:10:00); and (50 and over) – Ivy Mendoza of Poveda Tri Team (3:19:55) and Ratna Dimaporo of Tri SND Barracuda (3:25:10).

The NAGT, organized by Triathlon Philippines headed by Ramon Marchan in cooperation with the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA), was supported by the Philippine Sports Commission, Asian Center for Insulation, Standard Insurance and Gatorade, the official drink.

For race results and images of the race, visit https://www.facebook.com/TriPhil

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Note: The above press release and details were sourced from Triathlon Philippines Some parts were edited for this website.

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below, share this article to others and also please consider making a donation to support my publishing. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco

National Age Group Aquathlon 2023 event at Vermosa set for October 15

July 4, 2023July 1, 2023carlocarrasco

Welcome back my readers and sports fans! With the 32^nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) aquathlon gold medal won by the Philippines in Cambodia now in the record books, the multisport event of aquathlon has gained importance and recognition among multisport athletes in the nation. That being said, those who want to engage in aquathlon competition can do so by joining the National Age Group Aquathlon 2023 which is set to happen on October 15 at the Ayala Vermosa Sports Hub in Imus, Cavite. Online registration is ongoing (note: RaceYa.fit account is needed).

Supported by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), Vermosa and RaceYa, and is presented by the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP), the National Age Group Aquathlon 2023 has varied age categories and race distances that participants can choose from. For everyone’s reference, posted below are details from the event’s RaceYa page…

RACE DISTANCES S

• STK-Aqua:

6 yrs. old & under – (50m swim/100m run)

7- 8 yrs. old – (100m swim/200m run)

9-10 yrs. old – (200m swim/400m run)

11-12 yrs. old – (300m swim/1.5k run)

• Youth 13-15 yrs. old – (300m swim/2.5k run)

• Age groupers, Elite, Jr. Elite, Para-Tri and Team Relay – (500m swim/2.5k run)

ENTRY FEES:

STK-Aqua (6 -12 yrs) – P1,000

Youth (13-15 yes) – P1,500

Individual Age Groupers – P2,000

Team Relay – P3,000

RACE CATEGORIES and AWARDS

a. Elite Level (Top 3 per category)

Elite Men and Women: 18 years old and over

Jr. Elite Men and Women: 16-19 years old

b.Youth (Top 3 per category)

Youth Men and Women :13-15 years old

c. Age Groupers (Top 3 per AG category)

To learn more about the National Age Group Aquathlon 2023’s details, rules and race schedule, click https://register.raceya.fit/event/naga-2023

Watch out for more Philippine multisport updates right here!

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. If you want to support my website, please consider making a donation. Feel free to contact me with a private message. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me on Twitter at @HavenorFantasy as well as on Tumblr at https://carlocarrasco.tumblr.com/ and on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/authorcarlocarrasco/.

For more South Metro Manila community news and developments, come back here soon. Also say NO to fake news, NO to irresponsible journalism, NO to misinformation, NO to plagiarists, NO to reckless publishers and NO to sinister propaganda when it comes to news and developments. For South Metro Manila community developments, member engagements, commerce and other relevant updates, join the growing South Metro Manila Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/342183059992673

Philippine triathletes all set for the 2023 Asia Triathlon U23 and Junior Championships in Japan

June 19, 2023June 19, 2023carlocarrasco

Welcome back my readers and sports fans! Eleven members of the Philippine triathlon team will be competing in the 2023 Asia Triathlon U23 and Junior Championships in Gamagori, Japan in a few days from now, according to a sports news release published by the Philippine News Agency (PNA). Among the members are those who won medals in the recent Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games).

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA article. Some parts in boldface…

The Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) will send 11 athletes to Japan for the 2023 Asia Triathlon U23 and Junior Championships that will be held in Gamagori on June 22 to 26.

The event distance in the U23/Junior (Sprint) will be 750m (swim), 20km (bike), and 5km (run) while in the U23/Junior Mixed Relay (Super Sprint), it will be 280m (swim), 7.2km (bike), and 2km (run).

Cebu City’s Andrew Kim Remolino and Faith Raven Alcoseba, Iñaki Emil Lorbes, Juan Francisco Baniqued, and Joshua Alexander Ramos will compete in the U-23 division while Erika Nicole Burgos, Gene Heart Quiambao, Kira Ellis, Lady Samantha Jhunace Corpuz, Dayshaun Karl Ramos, and Matthew Justine Hermosa, who is also from Cebu, are entered in the Junior division.

The athletes will be accompanied by coaches Ani de Leon-Brown, Louann Ramos, and Cebuano Roland Remolino, as well as TRAP secretary general Ramon Marchan, when they leave on June 21.

“We are sending our next-generation triathletes to the Asian Championships, as part of our long-term program to maximize exposure in world-class competitions and high-performance training camps for our high-potential triathletes. Their performances in these events will likewise be a basis for selection to the Asian Games in Hangzhou (China) in September plus the results of the recent SEA (Southeast) Games in Cambodia,” TRAP president Tom Carrasco said in an interview on Saturday.

Supported by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC), the Philippine triathlon team is off to competing in more events overseas now that the 32nd SEA Games are over. Watch out for more Philippine multisport updates right here!

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Muntinlupa City Government honors local residents (athletes and coaches) for 2023 SEA Games achievements

June 6, 2023June 2, 2023carlocarrasco

Recently the City Government of Muntinlupa honored the local residents – specifically athletes and coaches – who made notable achievements in the 32^nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Cambodia and helped the Philippines do better than the previous edition of the games, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…

The Muntinlupa City government honored athletes and coaches who brought honor to the country in the 32nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games held on May 5-17 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The Muntinlupa City Council passed Resolution No. 2023-243 congratulating Muntinlupeño athletes and coaches in the SEA Games.

“Congratulations to our Muntinlupeño athletes and coaches who have shown their strength and excellence in the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia. You make your City truly proud,” said Mayor Ruffy Biazon, who signed the resolution on May 29.

Out of the 840-strong Philippine delegation, eight Muntinlupeños won medals. Honored by the city government are Annie Ramirez (gold, Jiu-jitsu Women’s Newaza Nogi-57 kg category); Kaila Napolis (gold, Jiu-jitsu Women’s Newasa Gi-52 kg); Gretel De Paz (gold, Kickboxing Low Kick – 56 kg class); Shugen Nakano (silver, Men’s Judo-66 kg class); Daryl John Mercado (bronze, Men’s Judo 55 kg); Keisei Nakano (bronze, Judo Mixed Team); Jay-R Beterbo, silver, Floorball-Men’s Tournament); and Carlo Biado, bronze, Billiards-Men’s 9-Ball Pool Doubles.

The city also recognized coaches Jayson Senales and Kodo Nakano, who are also from Muntinlupa, for successfully leading the national judo team to a strong medal showing at the Games, accounting for a total of seven medals.

The recent campaign is hailed as one of the country’s strongest overseas performances, second only to the 59-gold medal haul in the 1987 Jakarta SEA Games which featured mainstays such as the late Lydia De Vega-Mercado, Paeng Nepomuceno, and Eric Buhain.

To see the pictures of those who were honored, click https://mb.com.ph/2023/6/2/muntinlupa-honors-2023-sea-games-medalists-coaches

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a Muntinlupa City resident, what is your reaction to this development? Are you delighted over what the local athletes and coaches achieved for the country in the most recent SEA Games in Cambodia?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Las Piñas-based 2023 SEA Games medalists commended by Mayor and Vice Mayor

June 6, 2023June 2, 2023carlocarrasco

Recently in the city of Las Piñas, Mayor Imelda Aguilar and Vice Mayor April Aguilar-Nery welcomed local residents and 2023 SEA Games medalists Jocel Lyn Ninobla and Ana Alicia “Khate” Castillo at City Hall and had a meeting together, the City Government announced via their Facebook page post dated June 2.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the social media post. Some parts in boldface…

Two remarkable athletes, Jocel Lyn Ninobla and Ana Alicia “Khate” Castillo, who proudly represented the Philippines at the recently concluded 2023 South East Asian Games in Cambodia, paid a courtesy visit to Mayor Imelda Aguilar and Vice Mayor April Aguilar on Thursday, June 1st in City Hall.

*Jocel Lyn Ninobla and Ana Alicia “Khate” Castillo are the 2023 SEA Games medalists based in Las Piñas City. (photo source – City of Las Piñas Facebook page)*

*The SEA Games medalists in their meeting with Mayor Imelda Aguilar and Vice Mayor April Aguilar. (photo source – City of Las Piñas Facebook page)*

Jocel Lyn Ninobla, an outstanding taekwondo athlete, won a prestigious Gold medal at the Women’s Recognized Team Poomsae event and a Bronze medal in the Mixed Recognized Pair Poomsae event, highlighting her versatility and talent in the discipline. Jocel, an alumna of Divine Light Academy in Las Piñas, returned to her hometown to express her gratitude to the city that played a significant role in her journey.

Jocel Lyn Ninobla showing her 2023 SEA Games gold and bronze medals while posing with the Vice Mayor and Mayor. *(photo source – City of Las Piñas Facebook page)*

Accompanying Jocel was Ana Alicia “Khate” Castillo, a basketball athlete who secured a Silver medal at the Women’s 5×5 Basketball event. She is a proud graduate of the University of Perpetual Help System DALTA Las Piñas.

Ana Alicia “Khate” Castillo with her 2023 SEA Games silver medal, and the Vice Mayor and the Mayor. *(photo source – City of Las Piñas Facebook page)*

Mayor Imelda Aguilar and Vice Mayor April Aguilar commended Jocel and Khate for their dedication, hard work, and perseverance, which led them to excel on the international stage and bring glory to both the Philippines and Las Piñas City.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a resident of Las Piñas City, what is your reaction to this development? Are you delighted to see local residents who won SEA Games medals for the Philippines?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Over P12 million in bonuses to be given by POC to the nation’s 2023 SEA Games medalists

June 5, 2023June 1, 2023carlocarrasco

Philippine Team athletes who won medals in the 32^nd Southeast Asian Games (AKA SEA Games or Cambodia 2023) will be receiving over P12 million in bonuses from the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), according to a GMA Network news report. Take note that the POC SEA Games bonuses are different from the incentives of Republic Act Number 10699 (RA10699) or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the GMA news article. Some parts in boldface…

The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) is set to hand out P12.4 million in bonuses to athletes who copped medals at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia last month.

These bonuses will be distributed to the 58 gold medalists, 85 silver winners, and 117 athletes who took home bronze medals. Of the total bonus, P7.2 million is from the Manuel V. Pangilinan Sports Foundation (MVPSF), while P5.2 million is from POC funds.

“The athletes, particularly the medalists, deserve the reward, and the POC will always be diligent on that,” said POC president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino in a statement.

“The amount is from the generosity of MVPSF, Manny V. Pangilinan, through the efforts of [president] Al Panlilio.”

Under the POC’s incentive program, P100,000 will go to an individual gold medalist, P50,000 to doubles and relay teams, and P30,000 to a team; P50,000 to a silver medalist, P30,000 for doubles, and P20,000 for relay; and P30,000 to an individual silver medalist and P10,000 for doubles and relay.

The POC bonuses are separate from the government incentives given through the Philippine Sports Commission under Republic Act 10699 or the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act.

For individual events, a gold in the SEA Games is worth P300,000, a silver P150,000, and a bronze P60,000, according to the law.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What is your reaction to this recent development? Are you happy with all the medals the Philippine athletes won in the 2023 SEA Games hosted by Cambodia?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Talisay City’s Hermosa: I didn’t expect to win gold.

May 29, 2023May 25, 2023carlocarrasco

Welcome back my readers and sports fans! The 32^nd Southeast Asian Games in Cambodia are officially over and the Philippines won more gold medals compared to the previous SEA Games and Philippine Olympic Committee President Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino hailed the Filipino athletes for a job well done.

Speaking of gold medals, the Philippines finished in 1^st place in Men’s Individual Triathlon (Fer Casares), Women’s Individual Duathlon (Kim Mangrobang) and the Mixed Aquathlon 4X Team Relay. One of the members of the gold-medalist aquathlon team – Matthew Justine Hermosa of Talisay City, Cebu province – was recently featured in the Cebu Daily News (CDN) in a post-SEA Games article. What he shared in the article should interest you all.

Cebu’s Matthew Justine Hermosa (leftmost) holding the Philippine flag with teammates Iñaki Lorbes, Kira Ellis and Erika Burgos after their gold medal victory in the 32nd SEA Games aquathlon team relay event. *(note: photo sourced from Triathlon Association of the Philippines Facebook page).*

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Cebu Daily News article. Some parts in boldface…

Cebuano triathlete Matthew Justine Hermosa said he did not expect to win a gold medal in his first stint in the Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) after he and three other Filipino triathletes topped the mixed relay of the aquathlon event last May 6, 2023, at Kep Beach in Cambodia.

The 18-year-old Talisay City native ruled the mixed relay of the aquathlon event at one hour nine minutes and 56 seconds. Joining him was Kira Ellis, Erika Burgos and Iñaki Lorbes in winning the gold medal.

For Hermosa, it was a fun and challenging experience for him.

“For me, I didn’t expect to win gold, I expected a podium finish like maybe bronze or silver. It was a great bonus to receive and take home the gold medal and adding it to the tally,” said Hermosa.

“It was fun and at the same time it was quite challenging. The pressure from it is very different from our local races. Everyone’s eyes are on you and the expectations are so high. It was indescribable and mixed emotions to have won the gold medal but thankfully we did,” he said.

From left to right: Fer Casares, Kim Mangrobang, Iñaki Lorbes, Erika Burgos, Andrew Kim Remolino and Matthew Justine Hermosa showing their 32nd SEA Games medals upon arrival at the airport. (photo credit: Manila Bulletin)

Hermosa is one of the three Cebuano triathletes who campaigned for the Philippines in the 32nd SEA Games.

The other two were Andrew Kim Remolino who secured a silver medal in the men’s aquathlon and a bronze medal in the men’s triathlon event. Also, 2022 SEA Games bronze medalist Raven Faith Alcoseba competed along with them.

“It was a very challenging race because for aquathlon you have to do a swim of 500 m and after that you have to do a sprint run of 2.5 km. On the swim it was a very big challenge because the waves were so big, the water was so dark and the current was so strong that it would push you back to the shore,” Hermosa recalled.

“But I was fortunate enough to come out of the swim 3rd behind Vietnam and Indonesia, and on the run I was able to catch up with the two and I was able to finish 1st and giving a few seconds gap to my fellow teammates.”

To see the rest of CDN’s article, click https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/504045/hermosa-cebu-triathlete-on-winning-seag-gold-it-was-fun-challenging-experience

With regards to post-SEA Games events, the Philippines will be sending triathletes to the Asian Games which will happen in China this September-October.

Watch out for more Philippine multisport updates right here!

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Muntinlupa City Government congratulates local residents (athletes and coaches) for achieving success at the 32nd SEA Games

May 24, 2023May 23, 2023carlocarrasco

Recently the City Government of Muntinlupa congratulated local residents as well as a few coaches for achieving success in the concluded 32^nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Cambodia, according to a Manila Bulletin news report.

To put things in perspective, posted below is the excerpt from the Manila Bulletin news report. Some parts in boldface…

The Muntinlupa City government congratulated residents who won at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Cambodia.

They are Annie Ramirez from Barangay Cupang, gold medalist, Jiu-Jitsu Women’s Newaza Nogi – 57 kg; Kaila Napolis of Barangay Poblacion, gold medalist, Jiu-Jitsu Women’s Newasa Gi – 52 kg; Gretel De Paz of Alabang, gold medalist, Kickboxing Low Kick – 56 kg; Shugen Nakano of Barangay Tunasan, silver medalist, Men’s Judo – 66 kg; Daryl John Mercado of Barangay Tunasan, bronze medalist, Men’s Judo-55 kg; and Keisei Nakano of Tunasan, bronze medalist, Judo Mixed Team Event.

Napolis won the Philippines’ first gold medal at the 2023 SEA Games.

The city government also commended coaches Jayson Senales of Barangay Tunasan, Philippine National Judo Team, and Kodo Nakano of Barangay Tunasan, Philippine National Judo Team.

The above report ended stating that Muntinlupa City has an existing ordinance in which financial rewards are granted to local athletes who win in international, nation, regional and local invitational competitions.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are a Muntinlupa City resident, what is your reaction to this development? Are you delighted to learn about the local residents who won medals for the country during the SEA Games in Cambodia?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Could Cambodia and its foreign reinforcements ruin Southeast Asian sports?

May 16, 2023May 13, 2023carlocarrasco

Welcome back my readers and sports fans! As the 32^nd Southeast Asian Games is about the end, there has been a lot of discussions online about SEA Games host Cambodia and the many foreigners it naturalized who helped them win gold medals in specific sports events. The controversy is only growing and there is concern that what Cambodia has done could potentially ruin Southeast Asian sports as we know it.

To put things in perspective, Cambodia’s naturalized French athlete Margot Garabedian won the gold medals in the Women’s Individual Aquathlon as well as in the Women’s Individual Triathlon. In the Men’s 5-on-5 basketball, Cambodia defeated Gilas Pilipinas 79-68 as they were reinforced by six American players who were naturalized.

Meanwhile, a New Straits Times published an article focused on Cambodia’s mockery of the sport of cricket as their own team has a mix of Indian and Pakistani players. To be more precise, there were 13 foreign-born cricket players on the Cambodian team. As such, the Malaysian Cricket Association (MCA) hopes that the SEA Games Federation and the Olympic Council of Malaysia will conduct a review of the tournament as we as the eligibility of all players representing different nations in the 32^nd SEA Games.

In relation to these developments, there were two other articles that tackled the controversy of Cambodia’s naturalized reinforcements from overseas. One from veteran sports analyst Quinito Henson and the other a New Straits Times piece.

To begin with, posted below is an excerpt from Quinito Henson’s analysis published by the Philippine Star. Some parts in boldface…

A rule to allow any player, with or without affinity, to represent a country on the basis of a passport has opened the floodgates for mercenaries to desecrate the spirit of sportsmanship at the ongoing SEA Games in Cambodia. The norm of enlisting only one naturalized player for a national basketball team is now out the window. The host country has spared no cost in trying to collect gold medals like they were for sale in the open market and foreign athletes who probably had never visited Cambodia before the SEA Games are shamelessly wearing the national colors for money.

Last January, POC president Mayor Bambol Tolentino disclosed Cambodia’s devious plan to recruit foreign athletes for the SEA Games. In the Philippines, it’s a process to naturalize anyone because the law requires approval from Congress and Senate. But in other countries, it’s like issuing a driver’s license without a test and the wait could be overnight.

The downside of loading up on naturalized players is they don’t compete for national pride. Take, for instance, Cambodia’s 3×3 women’s squad of four American tourists – 5-7 Brittanny Dinkins of University of Southern Mississippi (played in seven countries before landing in Phnom Penh), 6-1 Mariah Cooks of Washington State University, 5-8 Kim Hanlon of Stony Brook University and 5-9 Meighan Simmons of University of Tennessee. Cooks and Hanlon are Women’s Premier Basketball Association (WPBA) veterans while Simmons was New York’s third-round pick in the 2014 WNBA draft. After the imports lost to the Philippines, 21-20 in the semis, they showed no heart in bowing to Indonesia, 21-15 in the playoff for third. The gold medal was lost and the bonus that would’ve come with it so who cared for third place? They didn’t play for Cambodia, they played for themselves and a paycheck.

Posted below is the 2^nd excerpt from Henson’s article…

Cambodian Joshua Bo Noung, who played high school basketball in the US, couldn’t land a spot on the national team because of the naturalized overload. “I am a little embarrassed for Cambodians,” he said. “Because this is not our way to resort to, not giving our own people a shot at competing. They resort to this for immediate success but they have to understand the pride in representing the people of Cambodia all around the world. Losing is part of learning to become better. Winning without integrity isn’t winning”.

In his analysis, Henson cut through the naturalization controversy and hit the key spots precisely. This raises questions about how Cambodia is implementing its very own sports development program and how far will they go to attract foreign athletes and naturalize them to boost their chances of winning in international sports events. After the SEA Games, will Cambodia have their naturalized reinforcements play for them in the Asian Games, the Olympics, and in the respective championship events in the sports of triathlon, basketball, cricket, and other sports?

More on those naturalized athletes, are they truly dedicated to Cambodia as their definitive nation with the long-term future in mind? How do they look at the homegrown Cambodian athletes who could not perform as great as them?

The next article to pay attention is from the New Straits Times which focuses more on ASEAN spirit affected by Cambodia and its naturalized athletes. Posted below is an excerpt from the article with some parts in boldface…

Hosts Cambodia’s conspicuous usage of foreign athletes at the ongoing Sea Games is not good for the Asean spirit.

This was stated by sports analyst Datuk Dr Pekan Ramli who pointed out that the objective of Asean is to strengthen unity among its 10 countries.

“Cambodia hiring imported athletes to win as many gold medals as possible does not strengthen the relationships among Asean countries,” he said today.

“Cambodia is too ambitious to win gold, they will do anything to finish among the top three in the medal tally.“

With five more days of the Sea Games remaining, Cambodia have bagged a whopping 56 gold medals and are second in the medal table to Vietnam who have 58 gold.

“Cambodia have set a precedent in the Sea Games that it’s okay to hire foreign athletes by giving them PR or citizenship for a short time to win medals,” said Pekan.

“In future other countries which are not strong in sports like Myanmar, Laos and Timor Leste will do the same when they host the Sea Games.

“This does not show true sportsmanship in sports.”

Cambodia is hosting the ongoing Sea Games for the first time, and more than half of its contingent are imports from countries like the United States, India, Pakistan, China and other nations.

Cambodia have raised eyebrows by fielding foreign athletes in cricket, hockey, basketball, volleyball, badminton and other sports.

Just imagine this. Cambodia’s all conquering 3×3 women’s squad consist of four “American tourists” — Brittany Dinkins, Kimberly Hanlon, Mariah Cooks and Meighan Simmons.

Pekan said there are no proper rules and guidelines in the Sea Games Federation that prohibit a country fielding foreign athletes.

“Basically the rules allow countries to take the opportunity to hire foreigners.

“Cambodia has spent a lot of money to host the Sea Games for the first time, and of course which host country does not want to win as many gold medals as possible?

“The government of Cambodia wants to please their people by showing that they can host the Sea Games and win a lot of gold. They also want to justify that they have spent the money wisely for the Games with good returns.

“And Cambodia is not the first country in the region that hire foreign athletes to win medals.

“Other countries have done it before. . Singapore have China-born naturalised table tennis players. A few athletes have dual citizenship, American and Filipino. Yet they are allowed to compete in the Sea Games.

“Look at our national football team, most of the players are naturalised players from other countries.

“We (Malaysia) have also given PR to foreign athletes to win medals in the Sea Games. Yuan Yufang is a China-born athlete who has won many gold in long distance and walk events in the Sea Games.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Do you think Cambodia and its naturalized athletes from overseas will ruin sports in the Southeast Asian region as we know it? When it comes to the aspect of granting citizenship to foreigners, do you think your country has sufficient laws that justify declaring foreign applicants as new citizens? How long do you think foreign applicants (for citizenship in your country) need to be living in the country before they qualify for citizenship? Does your country have a good sports development program that focuses on homegrown athletes?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Philippine triathletes looking forward to contests beyond 2023 SEA Games

May 15, 2023May 11, 2023carlocarrasco

Now that the 32nd Southeast Asian Games multisport contests in Cambodia are finally over (for references, click here, here, here and here), the Philippine triathletes have other contests to look forward to, according to a sports news article published by the Philippine News Agency (PNA).

In relation to this, the Philippine multisport team members arrived home victorious. Welcomed at the airport were Fer Casares the Men’s Triathlon gold medalist, Kim Mangrobang the Women’s Duathlon gold medalist and Women’s Triathlon Silver Medalist, Andrew Kim Remolino the Men’s Aquathlon silver medalist and Men’s Triathlon bronze medalist, and the members of the Mixed Aquathlon 4X Team Relay champions Erika Burgos, Iñaki Emil Lorbes and Matthew Justine Hermosa. Given the back-to-back SEA Games victories they each achieved, Casares is the reigning King of Triathlon in Southeast Asia while Mangrobang is the reigning Queen of Duathlon of the region.

*Image of the Philippine multisport team who won medals at the 32nd SEA Games posted on social media by the Manila Bulletin. (photo credit: Manila Bulletin)*

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the PNA sports news story. Some parts in boldface…

Fernando Casares is hoping for the best when he competes at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China from Sept. 23 to Oct. 8.

The Filipino-Spanish triathlete successfully defended his Southeast Asian Games title in Cambodia last Monday and while he is determined to make an impressive debut in China, getting a podium finish would be hard.

“The level is incredibly high, probably not,” said Casares in an interview Wednesday afternoon. “I would love to achieve Top 10 but I’m aware of the level.”

He clocked 58 minutes and 33.5 seconds to claim victory in Cambodia, beating Indonesian Rashif Yaqin (58:47) in the 750m swim-20km bike-5km run men’s event at the Kep Beach Resort.

Cebuano Andrew Kim Remolino placed third in 59:53 to settle for the bronze, his second medal following a silver finish in the men’s aquathlon on May 6.

“Obviously my main goal was to win the gold medal in triathlon since I already won in the last SEA Games in Vietnam, the issue was that this time, the distance was sprint, not standard, so the level was going to be more equal. Throughout the race, I wasn’t very sure if I was going to win because the gap between the lead pack and us (Kim Remolino and me) was considerably big after the swim, but we did an amazing job on the bike, closing the gap that much that we almost caught the lead pack before reaching T2 (20″ gap). As soon as I started running, I knew I was going to get a podium because I knew very well my rivals, however, I wasn’t sure if I could get the gold since Remolino and the guy from Indonesia were the fastest runners along with me,” said Casares, who was born in Madrid to a Spanish father and a Filipino mother.

“It took me 2.5km to overtake the leader and once I reached kilometer 3.75, I knew I would win because there was a considerable gap. But unfortunately, I started to feel dizzy because I was going all out, as if I was going to bonk, so it was quite stressing until the last 100m because I didn’t know if the Indonesian was going to sprint on the last part,” he added.

“Achieving this victory means everything to me, all the hard work I’ve been doing for months paid off, now I’ll be able to keep training as a full-time athlete, thanks to the salary I’ll keep receiving from the government, which is quite a relief,” he said.”But the best feeling about winning the gold medal is the supportive messages I receive from my kababayan (countrymen), it’s quite comforting to make everyone proud and to raise our flag to the top.”

Meanwhile, Casares will leave for Osaka, Japan next week with three-time SEA Games women’s champion Kim Mangrobang. They will compete in the Asia Cup set on May 26.

“It’ll be good to get some points for my international ranking. After Osaka, my plan is to go back to Spain to make the most of its weather, since it’ll be summer by then. There’s so many high-level national races that I can join, and even Europe Cups and World Cups. All these will be my preparation for the Asian Games,” said Casares, who joined two tournaments in New Zealand — Oceania Cup in Taupo, and World Cup in New Plymouth — as part of his training for the SEA Games.

Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) President Tom Carrasco had earlier predicted three gold medals.

Aside from Casares, the other gold medalists were Mangrobang (duathlon) and the mixed aquathlon relay team of Erika Burgos, Inaki Lorbes, Kira Ellis and Matthew Hermosa.

Mangrobang also got a silver medal in the triathlon, clocking (1:07:21) to finish second behind Cambodian naturalized entry Margot Garabedian (1:05.34). Singapore’s Louisa Marie Middleditch was third (1:07:24).

The Philippines leads the SEA Games all-time medal tally in triathlon, duathlon and aquathlon, with 35 medals — 15 golds, 12 silvers and 8 bronzes.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: What do you think about this recent development? If you are a triathlon enthusiast, are you looking forward to the next overseas campaigns of the Philippine team triathletes? What is your opinion about Cambodia’s move on having more competitive foreign athletes naturalized as part of their strategy to win events in the SEA Games that they themselves have been hosting?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

In ending this post, posted below are a few 32^nd SEA Games multisport event videos for your viewing pleasure…

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