Southeast Asian (SEA) Games chief of mission Dr. Raul Canlas is set to travel to Bangkok for a meeting with other nations on 19 August and clarify the eligibility of the athletes.

Canlas said he will be submitting the list of Filipino delegates to the meeting while also clarifying some aspects of the qualification of the athletes in sports such as basketball and volleyball.

The Philippines will send 1,600 athletes and officials to Thailand, the biggest SEA Games delegation of all time.

“We are submitting the entry by name by this month in the second week of August. We are still clarifying some qualifications like in basketball,” Canlas said.

“In volleyball, there are certain peculiarities that I cannot mention now that will be discussed in the CDM meeting.”

So far, the Thais will follow the rules set by the International Basketball Federation for its basketball games, including only fielding one naturalized player per squad.

Meanwhile, the Philippines isn’t encountering any hiccups when it comes to forming a competitive volleyball squad in the biennial meet.

The Filipinos are hoping to surpass their previous medal tally of 58 golds, 85 silvers and 117 bronzes.

Canlas said he is grateful to Philippine Sports Commission chairman Patrick “Pato” Gregorio for helping the athletes.

“You have to understand, Chairman Pato came from the POC (Philippine Olympic Committee. So, he’s on the ground on what we need and he’s very supportive,” Canlas said.