RP boxing forfeiture may curb SEA Games cheating – official

The decision of Filipino boxers to forfeit their gold medal matches the 24th Southeast Asian Games (SEA) Games might just be what's needed to curb cheating in the sport, according to Philippine chief of mission Monico Puentevella. He added that team officials would meet so that they could agree on an "official stand to express the contingent's displeasure over the bum calls." "We came here to compete not only for the gold but compete in the spirit of fair play," Puentevella said in report issued by the RP delegation on Friday. "We have to put a stop to it. This is going to destroy boxing in the SEA Games." Flyweight Annie Albania would probably not have retained her title, which she won in the last SEA Games, if she had not knocked out Hansa Kadeewong on Wednesday. The five other female boxers who fought that day only managed to get silver medals, allegedly due to hometown decisions. In the men's finals, featuring seven Filipino-Thai showdowns, there was neither a walkout nor a protest from the Philippine camp. And then the grand plan, hatched overnight, began to unfold: Filipino boxers were to retire one by one as they entered the ring of the Tumbon Mueanpug Gym in Nakhon Ratchasima. They would touching gloves with their rivals first, take off their gear, and no longer fight inside the packed Tumbon Mueanpug Gym. Flyweight Godfrey Castro started it. As the bell rang, he raised his arms. By the time the second fighter – bantamweight Junel Cantancio – had done the same thing, Taiwanese Ching-Kuo Wu, president of the Association Internationale de Boxe Amateur (AIBA, of the International Amateur Boxing Association), was already rising from his VIP seat to meet with the RP officials and prevent a possible ring fiasco. Under the veiled threat of sanctions that could endanger the country's Beijing Olympics prospects and light flyweight Harry Tañamor, the first Olympic qualifier, Puentevella and his group relented and allowed the rest of the RP charges to compete. "Mr. Wu assured us that we would not be sanctioned if the boys resumed fighting," Puentevella said. "We might also be in trouble with the world amateur boxing body. But we were able to deliver our message loud and clear. Hindi na dapat masaktan ang mga bata natin dito na alam naman nating matatalo rin naman." Manny Lopez, president of the Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines, had refrained from saying anything even while his female boxers were taking a beating in officiating. But on Friday he broke his silence and issued a statement. "We do not want our boxers to be maltreated," Lopez said. "At the same time, we do not want our country to be dishonored. This is why our boys lost their spirit to fight and courage after they witnessed what happened to the women's squad." Even sports psychologist Erick Sta. Maria, who has been mentally prepping the entire boxing squad, agreed with the decision. "We were able to deliver three messages with our stand," Sta. Maria said. "First, by giving away the boxing gold to the Thais, they will never know how good they are. We planted a seed of doubt in their mind. Second, we were able to protect our boxers from further harm in what was a lost cause and, finally, we were able to send a message to the Thais way up to their revered monarch (King Bhumibol Adulyadej) that something was amiss in boxing." The sacrifice of the RP pugs was costly, especially in the wake of the country's scrambling bid to look for more golds with two days to go in the SEA Games. The Filipinos wallowed in fifth place overall late Thursday and was still in the same position Friday afternoon. And from their sterling output of eight gold, four silver, and two bronze medals in the 23rd SEA Games two years ago, the Pinoy pugs wound up with a 1-12-2 tally in the 24th SEA Games. - GMANews.TV