VIENTIANE — The 25th Southeast Asian Games will not only be remembered for athletes who brought honor to the country, but also for those who failed to see action.

A few days after the 12-man cycling team was barred rom competing, boxer Bill Vicera found himself out in the cold after the AIBA, the world's governing body in boxing, ordered the scrapping of the pinweight division.

But FIBA technocal delegate Herbert Embuldeniya of Sri Lanka, acting on a request by the Philippines, withheld action and made a second appeal to AIBA.

A separate appeal signed by RP team manager Ed Picson and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose Cojuangco Jr. was alos sent to AIBA.

Embuldeniya had earlier suggested to make pinwieght as an exhibition event, a proposal shot down by the Philippines.

"We came here for the gold medal, not a diploma," Picson said.

The pinweight class has been a regular fixture in the Games since 1979 and a source of gold medals for the Philippines.

Olympic silver medalist Mansueti Velasco is only one of a long line of champions who started their careers in the pinweight division.

But last September, the AIBA informed the SEA Games organizing committee to remove the division in the calendar.

"The organizing committee failed to inform us about the development," said Picson. "Why should we be punished for someone else's fault?"

While the committe was willing to allow the disenfranchised boxers to compete in the next division, Picson said the Philippines cannot avail of the compromise because they already have a fighter in the light-flywieght class.

The AIBA decision left the Philippines with only five boxers in the competition.