National coach Boyet Asonto said billiards icons Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, who will see action in the 8-ball and 9-ball doubles events, could easily enhance the country’s chances of winning more gold medals.

Reyes and Bustamante will join Ronnie Alcano and Rubilen Amit, who will defend their crowns in the 8-ball and 9-ball singles events.

Alcano won the 8-ball championship two years ago in Laos, while Amit ruled both the 8-ball and 9-ball competitions.

“Sa tatlong events na lang iyon, mahihirapan na sila sa atin. Sa doubles pa kaya,”? asked Asonto.

The SEA Games Federation executive meeting and council met in Bali last Friday at the Nusa Dua Hotel and agreed to reinsert billiards, bringing the final calendar of sports to be played in the cities of Palembang and Jakarta to 43 sports and 545 events

Billiards was reinserted after delegates from the Philippines and Malaysia questioned the scrapping of the events and the delay of the announcement on the final number of sports to be played.

Forty-four sports disciplines were supposed to be included in the calendar, but proposals to add squash and hockey were junked, along with the team events in table tennis.

The SEAGFC members, made up of representatives of the 11 member nations, agreed to hold billiards competitions in the 8-ball singles and doubles event for men’s and women’s singles 8-ball and 9-ball.

But a proposal to add the 10-ball was turned down. Organizers, though, agreed to add the men’s English billiards singles and doubles and the 1-cushion and 3-cushion singles in carom.

In shooting, the host decided to include the 50m and 3m position for men and women’s, 25m sports pistol for women, 25m rapid fire for men and running target for women – events which are being played in the Olympics.

Other sports included in the calendar were chess, diving (men and women’s 1-m springboard) and the men’s and women’s competitions in the Laser Open, 470 Class, RSX and Mistral in sailijng.

Boxing categories were reduced from the 10 disputed in Laos to eight. The categories to be contested are the following: lightflyweight, flyweight, bantamweight, lightweight, light welterweight, middleweight and light heavyweight, while a 69-kilogram division was added in weightlifting.

A total of 60 sports officials from 11 member-countries attended the meeting, with Philippine Olympic Committee chairman and head of delegation Monico Puentevella, representing the Philippines with POC first vice president Manny Lopez, secretary general Steve Hontiveros and treasurer Julian Camacho.

Peter Atencio, Manila Standard Today