SETTING a precedent, a bronze medal will now be awarded in a Southeast Asian Games sport even if there are only three competing countries in the Philippine hosting of the event, the Southeast Asian Games Federation Council announced on Friday.
Celso Dayrit, SEA Games Executive Committee chairman, said the move was done upon the recommendation of SEAG Federation and Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino during the council’s meeting inside the Clark Freeport Zone in Angeles, Pampanga.
Tolentino stressed that the Games are suppossed to be “about the athletes. So why penalize an athlete who sacrifices, trains and participates, places third and is deprived of a medal because other countries withdrew at the last minute? That’s not their fault”.
With support from all the member countries, the exemption from the current rule was sponsored by Prof.Charoen Watanasim of Thailand and approved unanimously.
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