The Philippine Dragon Boat Team may not be able to join the Asian Games that will be held in Guangzhou, China on November due to time miscalculation during the time trial, as reported by the local media on Friday.

The country's paddlers passed the time standards with flying colors, surpassing the gold medal winning times set in Asian championships in the 200- and 500-meter events for the men's and women's team, according to abscbn.com.

The Philippine Star on the other hand reported that the men's team clocked-in a 41.88 seconds in the 200 meters event. The 200-meter standard is 47.74 seconds. The team clocked-in a 1:47.00 in the 500 meters event, and the standard time of the 500 meters event is 1:55.07.

The women's team meanwhile, posted 46.85 in the 200-meter trial and 1:58.38 in the 500-meter trial. The Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) has set a standard of 49.07 for the 200 meters and 2:06.85 for the 500 meters for the women paddlers.

The Philippine screening committee found the results in the time trial for the 1,000-meter event hard to believe, citing the times the team gave them were just too fast. The head coach of the Dragon Boat Team also admitted that they miscalculated the time in the 1,000 meter event.

Asiad Screening Committee member Clarito Samson meanwhile, recommended to the team to undergo the time trial again.

"Our Philippine Dragon Boat Team (PDBT) is good, there is no question about it. In this sport, you can win a gold medal by a fraction of a second. Even in long distances, you cannot beat your opponent here by half the course. This is the Asian Games," said Samson.

The Dragon Boat Team on the other hand is still ready to join the tournament despite the hitch. "We are ready ma'am. This tournament is not only for us but for the country." said Usman Anterola, PDBT team captain.

The screening committee will decide on Monday if the team will be able to participate in Asia's biggest sporting event.

The Philippine Dragon Boat Team has won several tournaments abroad. According to the Philippine Dragon Boat Federation's website, the country's paddlers won gold in the 200-meter Premier Mixed and 200-meter Premier Open events, and silver in the 500-meter Premier Open in the 9th World Dragon Boat Championships held in Prague in August 2009.

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