Injured Rivero to be part of RP taekwondo coaching staff

Mary Antoinette Rivero's injury won’t be a problem after all, since the Doha Asian Games silver medalist will be joining the Philippine taekwondo team in the Guangzhou, China Asiad. RP Chief of Mission and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) secretary general Joey Romasanta said Rivero, who got injured while training for the 16th Asiad, will be part of the coaching staff when the Nationals begin their campaign in the November 12 to 27 edition of the quadrennial meet. The 22-year-old Rivero, a two-time Olympian who reached the quarterfinals of the 2004 Athens Games, was supposed to suit up for the country but tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) during training. “We believe she will be of great help for the team with her vast experience; she can even be a source of inspiration for the delegation," said Romasanta. He added that it was the Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA) which pushed for Rivero's inclusion Romasanta also said the PTA made the move as a gesture to acknowledge the young jin's contribution to the sport. Rivero's accreditation papers have been forwarded to the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (GAGOC). Romasanta is confident that Rivero will be accommodated despite the late submission of her documents. Rivero will thus be the third coach for taekwondo after Danilo Mojica and Raul Samson. Her inclusion brought the number of coaches to 56, while 190 athletes will be competing in 30 sports disciplines. The POC executive board earlier approved 256 athletes for the Asian Games with the late inclusion of seven shooters from the Philippine National Shooting Association (PNSA). But 66 athletes were dropped from the RP roster due to various reasons. The 44-member men's and women's dragon boat teams, touted as potential gold medalists after a winning record in various international competitions, are no longer on the list. Also dropped were the 12-member women's basketball team, five female chess players, lady marathoner Jho-An Banayag, and swimmer Kendrick Uy. The Philippines sent 233 athletes to the 2006 Doha Games, from where they brought home four gold, six silver and nine bronze medals. “We’re confident we will win more than four gold medals and increase our silver and bronze medal outputs in Guangzhou. With a smaller contingent of athletes, we believe we will have a better ratio in terms of medal results," said Romasanta. The traditional send-off ceremony will be held on November 5 at Philsports Arena with Vice President Jejomar Binay as special guest. President Noynoy Aquino was also invited but has yet to confirm his attendance. – JVP, GMANews.TV