THE Chinese diving coach of the national team Zhang Deju got the ire of Mark Joseph, president of the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association (Pasa), after the former divulged negative remarks on divers Sheila Mae Perez and Rexel Ryan Fabriga.

Joseph was mad when he faced Zhang, a long-time national team coach, for releasing statements to the media weeks before Perez and Fabriga even plunged into Olympic action.

“Naapektuhan sila [divers]. Napagalitan ko siya. I don’t agree with his statement. No one from the delegation agreed with what he said,” said Joseph in a teleconference from Beijing with the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) monitoring group in Manila.

Zhang said that Perez got hard-headed after she qualified for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, while Fabriga is overweight for the diving competitions—statements that came at a bad time.

“That is not true. The truth of the matter is he is managing the expectation of the public if they lose,” Joseph added.

The 22-year-old Perez, who previously qualified in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and a four-gold-medal winner in the 2005 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines, competes in the three-meter springboard on August 15.

Fabriga, also 22 and a gold medalist in the 2003 SEA Games in Vietnam, plunges into action in the 10-meter platform on August 22.

Joseph assured that Perez and Fabriga are still in high spirits despite the comments of their Chinese coach.

Must focus on ‘measurables’

BEIJING—Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia have each already won a medal in the 29th Olympics, all from the measurable sport of weightlifting. And they definitely pose as good copies for the Philippines, which struggles each Olympics to clinch even a bronze medal.

College tilts could propel swimmers

BEIJING—A better collegiate program back home could perhaps propel Filipino swimmers to world-class standards.

Most prolific

BEIJING—So you’ve always wanted to swim like Michael Phelps?

Well, now you have.

Javier treasures short Games stint

BEIJING—Archer Mark Javier goes back home to his native Dumaguete City without a medal hanging on his neck. But he definitely would pack beautiful experiences from his first Olympic stint.

Zhang earns Joseph’s ire over divers

THE Chinese diving coach of the national team Zhang Deju got the ire of Mark Joseph, president of the Philippine Amateur Swimming Association (Pasa), after the former divulged negative remarks on divers Sheila Mae Perez and Rexel Ryan Fabriga.

Fil-Am Coughlin’s learning Tagalog

IN the near future, American swimmer Natalie Coughlin might learn a few Tagalog words.  In an interview with Filipino-American newspaper Asian Journal, Coughlin, who is a quarter Filipino, said that she is starting to learn the language from computer software.

Tickets all sold out, yet seats empty

BEIJING—Chinese Olympics organizers acknowledged Tuesday they were struggling to handle an unforeseen and baffling problem inside Summer Games venues and at the showpiece Olympic Park: not enough people.

Part Of The Game: Glories of RP Olympians past

When it comes to Philippine Olympic glory, do we have a past, a present or a future?

The picture seems hazy at the moment, what with our best bets so far bowing out far from glorious fashion in the Beijing Olympics. (At the time of writing, I am still looking out for boxer Harry Tañamor’s fate, and I hope it’s a thumbs up.)

Go for Hatton, not Oscar, Wakee advises Pacquiao

THERE seems to be growing apprehension within the Manny Pacquiao camp regarding the Filipino fighter’s proposed battle against superstar Oscar de la Hoya.