With all due respect to host Cambodia, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Bambol Tolentino predicts a tight race for the overall championship in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) scheduled in May next year in Phnom Penh.

“It’s anybody’s ballgame,” Tolentino said in Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum held online.

Cambodia has initially identified 40 sports that would be played in the biennial meet and Tolentino disclosed the POC is planning to send athletes to all sports.

“Hinimay-himay na namin yung number of sports sa Cambodia and with the new (Philippine) administration, siguro naman kahit ilan ang kayang ipadala natin,” Tolentino said.

“Of course, there would still be changes on the number of sports pero kapag nakita na natin yan, from there, we can talk to all National Sports Associations (NSAs), ilalabas natin yung top notch athletes.”

The athletes would also be having a year of preparations compared in the previous meet as pandemic restrictions have already eased up.

“After nitong Hanoi SEAG, marami agad na nagna-National Open kaagad, kasama na yung overhaul ng teams diyan. Kumpara nitong sa Hanoi (SEAG), mga three to four months lang preparations nila due to the pandemic, pero tingnan mo naman, nakapag-deliver pa rin,” Tolentino said.

The country finished fourth overall in the Hanoi SEAG after collecting 52 gold, 70 silver and 105 bronze medals behind eventual champion Vietnam, Thailand and Indonesia.

The fourth-place finish is already an achievement as far as Tolentino is concerned, owing to the training and preparation challenges that the athletes faced amid the pandemic.

Tolentino is expected to attend the SEAG meeting in July where organizers would give an update on the hosting preparations.