Martial arts academy eyed to be done in Oct

A MULTI-Martial Arts discipline dojo will be finally pushed through as the construction of the PLT Martial Arts Academy and Fitness Gym will begin in April this year.

Owner Paolo Tancontian, who is a former eight-year mainstay of the judo national team, said the construction of the martial arts center at Deca Homes, Mintal is estimated to done by October.

"It will be a two-storey building. The ground floor will be the fitness center while the second floor will be the martial arts academy," said Tancontian, adding that they will be teaching primarily judo as well as sambo, wrestling, boxing, zumba, aerobics, etc.

Tancontian, who is also the deputy secretarygeneral of Sambo Pilipinas, said the center will also be considered as the pioneering club of the sport sambo in Mindanao.

Tancontian's aspiration in building the martial arts center is to provide an authentic judo knowledge and experience for aspiring athletes as well as to continue the legacy of the Tancontian family, who pioneered judo in Davao City in early 1960's.

"My uncle and father pioneered judo here in Davao which became our strong foundation of mastering the sport as well as helping my kids to grow up as a champion," Tancontian said, pertaining to his children Sydney and Chino, who are both University of Sto Tomas (UST) scholars and University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) judo reigning champions.

Meantime, Narzal Luis Garcia, a fifth Dan judoka olympian who represented the Philippines in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, extended his support for the upcoming PLT Martial Arts Academy and Fitness Gym, saying: "It will be a great project kasi mas matuturuan talaga ng maayos yung mga bata ng foundation and fundamentals ng judo," considering that the Tancontians are already proven with regards to judo and other grappling sports.