PSC chief on Team Philippines' fourth place SEAG finish: Nothing to be ashamed of

Philippine Sports Commission chairman William "Butch" Ramirez said the country's fourth place finish in the overall medal standing of the 31st Southeast Asian Games is still a good outcome given the athletes' challenging buildup to the Games.

“Our performance in bringing home 52 gold, 70 silver, and 104 bronze medals in placing fourth overall in the medal standings was a good finish despite the various challenges our national athletes had to face amid the COVID-19 pandemic before competing in Vietnam,” Ramirez said in a statement.

“It would have been a very good finish had we converted 50 percent of our silvers (to gold) and bronzes (to silver)."

The Philippines had a solid hold of the third spot but fell to fifth slot before ultimately cementing its ranking in the fourth as host Vietnam copped the overall crown while Thailand and Indonesia came in second and third, respectively.

But the funding of training programs, according to Ramirez, was expensive, especially with several teams eyeing to train abroad.

“You need money for coaches, both local and foreign, airfare, transportation and hotel for international exposure to season them, plus the logistical support like proper nutrition, sports psychology, and medicine for athletes discovered abroad or locally,” Ramirez explained.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA News