The Philippine Olympic Committee will evaluate the chances of the more than 700 athletes initially listed to carry the country's colors in the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand and prune it down as preparation for the biennial meet heads into the homestretch.

Bacolod Rep. Monico Puentevella, the POC first vice-president, said the athletes' gold-medal potentials will be evaluated carefully by the Olympic body. "We are already overloaded. It may be more than the number of athletes that we fielded when we hosted the SEA Games two years ago," Puentevella said in a telephone interview.

"Being in the list is different from really qualifying for the SEAG," the solon said, adding that the POC may take the issue up when it meets next Wednesday. Puentevella, the RP chef de mission for this year's SEA Games, also said the POC is also reviewing requests of National Sports Associations, whose athletes are candidates for training in China.

Twenty athletes flew to China last week to train for the SEA Games and the Olympics in Beijing next year. The Olympic body, he said, already has requests from the Philippine Badminton Association, which is expected to send teenage players for the training.

"It's a long-term plan. Hopefully, these players can make the 2012 Olympics in London or the World Championships. The training will help us catch up with Malaysia and Indonesia," he said.

Puentevella also hinted that the set of Philippine Sports Commission officials, led by chairman William Ramirez will be retained to their posts because of the preparations they have already undertaken for the SEA Games and the Beijing Olympics.

"There might not be some changes. If there are, it might happen after the SEA Games or the Olympics," he said. *CPT

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