PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham ‘Bambol’ Tolentino has been told that Thailand plans to field naturalized players in some of their teams, contravening a ruling made by the 2025 Southeast Asian Games hosts themselves that banned naturalized athletes.
The latest report received by Tolentino was that Thailand has included some naturalized players in their baseball team, which is a clear violation of the rule it has set for this year's biennial meet.
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The major casualty from this rule was the exclusion of Justin Brownlee from the lineup of the Gilas Pilipinas team which is defending the basketball gold medal.
When told that Thailand may field naturalized baseball players, Tolentino was furious, short of calling the rule unfair. He also said the implimentation of the rule which did not exist in previous Games, was uneven or selective.
“Well, may mga naturalized players daw sila sa baseball. Bakit ganun? Talaga bang ayaw magpatalo ng host country? Bakit ganun,” Tolentino told SPIN.ph after his brief press conference with Filipino sportswriters at the Grand Four Wings Hotel in Bangkok.
“Hindi allowed si Brownlee sa 5-on-5 team pero sa 3x3 andun si (Ange) Koaume? Abay talaga palang ...” said the sports official, holding back from saying the words that may be unprintable.
Tolentino said he will file a protest a protest if proven that naturalized players were allowed by organizers to play in baseball.
The POC chieftain, however, acknowledged that in the SEA Games, there are different technical handbooks or guidelines that various sports disciplines follow.
“Andun na tayo sa kanya-kanyang rule book ang mga NSAs kaso hindi rin naman nila sinusunod ang FIBA ruling. So, ang gusto kong malaman bakit sa basketball nag-decide sila na walang naturalized player kung [sa] FIBA mismo, allowed ito,” he said.
Canlas admits 'challenges'
Philippine chef de mission Dr. Jose Raul Canlas, meanwhile, told SPIN.ph that they are still following the developments but said there are challenges that stand in the way.
“I don’t know the intricacies but whatever our POC president says, 'yun ang pag-aaralan natin,” said the famed orthopedic surgeon and national surfing federation president.
Meanwhile, citing another discrepancy, Tolentino said he also has learned that in one karate weight division, there are only three entries, a violation of the rule which says at least four athletes must compete in an event.
If true, he said he would move for the event's cancellation.
“That is against the by-laws of the SEA Games as it says the minimum number of participants must at least be four. This must be cancelled,” Tolentino said in his speech during the 2025 SEA Games Council meeting where is is the honorary president.
Meanwhile, Gilas Pilipinas will fly to Thailand on Thursday together with the women’s basketball team.
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