Based on the entries by numbers submitted by the 11 member countries, the Philippines is in seventh place with its 446 athletes.
The number is still expected to be pruned down after the final evaluation by the Philippine Olympic Committee and the different NSAs (national sports associations).
Jose Cojuangco, POC president, had said they expect to field just around 200 athletes or even less for the Myanmar SEA Games in December.
Indonesia, the reigning overall champion in the SEA Games, is hoping to field as many as 838 athletes, followed by Thailand with 827, Malaysia with 695, Vietnam with 693, Singapore with 550 and the Philippines with 446.
Myanmar has yet to reveal the number of athletes for this year’s SEA Games but as host, it is expected to field a full contingent that may even surpass that of Indonesia.
Laos is hoping to send 338 athletes followed by Cambodia with 277, Brunei with 188 and Timor Liste with just 97.
The deadline for the submission of the entries by names is on Sept. 15. After that date, no more inclusions will be allowed by organizers.
Filipino sports officials are up in arms against Myanmar’s decision to include around 60 events in traditional and indigenous sports in the hosts’ determined bid to move up the standings.
Myanmar was seventh in 2011 in Indonesia, and if it overtakes the Philippines at sixth, then the Philippines will slip to for its lowest ranking in SEA Games history.
In athletics alone, the Philippines is dwarfed by their counterparts as far as the number of entries is concerned. It is fielding only 21 athletes (15 men and six women) in the medal-rich sport.
Thailand is fielding 108 bets in athletics, followed by Indonesia with 100 and Vietnam with 87.
