Angping urges NSAs to settle their problems

Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping called on the squabbling national sports associations (NSA) members to settle their internal problems, move forward and save the athletes from any distraction heading toward the 2010 Asian Games.
The PSC chief said any amount of support from the government agency may just go down the drain if the warring leaders of the different NSAs fail to put their act together because in the end “it will be the athletes who might get caught in the crossfire,” he said.
Angping said what happened to the RP cycling team in the Laos SEA Games last December should not happen in Guangzhou in November because the PSC or the Philippine Olympic Committee might end up wasting a lot of money.
The POC funded a 13-strong cycling team to Laos and must have spent close to a million pesos. But the RP riders were denied a chance to compete because of a bitter feud between the leaders of the two warring cycling groups.
Angping said the PSC is in the process of meeting the different NSAs regarding their formation of the team for the Asian Games, and the selection of their elite athletes who will start receiving bigger benefits from the government agency.
“But we have to settle a lot of problems first,” said Angping last Feb.11, referring to NSA members still emboiled in leadership disputes. They include archery, billiards, badminton, equestrian, cycling and wushu.
Because of the differences, the NSA members may end up with two sets of athletes seeking slots to Guangzhou.
If there’s no immediate solution to their problems, Angping said the warring NSA members should set aside their differences and form a team composed of their best athletes regardless of which faction they’re associated with.
The PSC chairman also asked the other other members, like aquatics, athletics, golf, tennis and basketball, to coordinate with his agency regarding the athletes they want to field in the Asian Games on Nov. 12 to 27, 2010.
Angping said Jose Romasanta, the chef-de-mission of the RP delegation to Laos, can definitely help settle the issue.
“I’m hoping I could really sit down with Joey Romasanta,” he said. “Maybe we can thresh out everything. I think the key for us is to sit down and reach a gentleman’s agreement with the NSA leaders.”
“The solution is to get the best players from both (warring) groups. Then, that will be our team,” said Angping.