Blasian Athletes Shine at 2015 SEA Games

The 28th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games were held in Singapore from June 5 to June 16. A standout in the 2015 SEA Games was the performance of Team Philippines and their Fil-Heritage athletes, commonly known as Fil-Ams. The SEA Games Chief of Mission Julian Camacho confirmed that the Filipino team had the most United States-based entries. The final medal count for the Philippines included 5 gold medals, with 4 attributed to Fil-American athletes.

Eric Shauwn Cray (June 9)

Eric Cray and Kayla Richardson, a pair of blasian Fil-Americans, won gold in their respective 100-meter races, earning the unofficial titles of "fastest man and fastest woman in the region". Cray clocked in at 10.25 seconds, while Richardson finished at 11.76. Cray went on to set a new SEA Games record of 49.40 seconds on the way to gold in the 400-meter hurdles, breaking a 20-year-old record. Richardson also secured a silver medal in the 200 meters at 23.71 seconds. These 2 blasian athletes earned 3 of Team Philippines's 5 gold medals.

Kayla Anise Richardson (June 9)

Following the SEA Games, Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) president Philip Ella Juico faced criticism for the use of Fil-foreign players raised and trained overseas to mask the lack of programs for homegrown athletes. Juico took exception to the criticisms, saying Fil-Americans, are, in the end, still Filipinos.

"We have 10 million Filipinos around the world. We are sharing our human resources with the international community. When they are there, they inter-marry with locals and beget Filipino children who are half Filipino, half foreign. If we can use half foreign Filipinos for scientists, teachers, or engineers, why not use them for sports?", said Juico. "Why all of a sudden discriminating and frowning on this?, the former Philippine Sports Commission chairman added.

Juico said the only difference is that Fil-foreign athletes are based outside the Philippines by force of circumstances, and should not be stripped of their privilege to represent the country in international competitions. "Of course, we prefer homegrown talents but it's not their fault that they were born there."

Despite the criticism, Juico said they intend to recruit more Fil-Americans to beef up the athletics team. Juico spoke on this matter in a previous interview, stating, "If there are Fil-foreign (athletes), (athletes) with Filipino blood, why not? It's a global society now, it's a global community...if other countries can use this internationally-shared resource, why not us?"

Eric Cray - dubbed the "Usain Bolt of Southeast Asia" - responded to critics regarding the policy of searching overseas for talent with Filipino ties stating, "I just feel that if you have Filipino blood and you cherish the traditions of the Philippines, you know it's a great honor for me to be able to represent and I am just happy that they allow me to."

Selected Sources:
* Sports Interactive Network Philippines, "What's wrong with having Fil-foreign athletes, says Juico in face of SEA Games criticism", June 19, 2015.
* ABS-CBN News Channel, "New PATAFA head welcomes Fil-foreign athletes, coaches", August 7, 2014.