Para bets head for Indonesia

A 144-strong Philippine team to the 11th ASEAN Para Games scheduled 30 July to 6 August in Surakarta in Indonesia, is ready to rumble.

Competing in 11 sports, the Philippines is raring to bring home medals, according to Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC) president Mike Barredo.

“This is a hungry team, a fighting team that is eager to showcase their skills and talent after being deprived of international competition for over two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Barredo said.

“I would not be surprised at all if many of our national para athletes will strive harder than ever before in making the most of this opportunity to bring honors to our country in the 11th Asean Para Games.”

The PPC chief was grateful to the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) for enabling the national para athletes to train intensively for over a month under a bubble setup at the Philsports Complex in Pasig City to gird themselves for the regional meet.

“We would like to thank the PSC’s support for our national para athletes in their bubble training at the Philsports Complex for over a month without any distractions,” Barredo noted.

This is a hungry team, a fighting team that is eager to showcase their skills and talent after being deprived of international competition for over two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“This training has armed them well for the action ahead in Indonesia,” said Barredo, optimistic that the Filipino campaigners would be able to surpass their 20 gold, 20 silver and 29 bronze medals, good for fifth overall, in the last 2017 edition held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The track and field team has the biggest number of entries with 24 led by Tokyo Paralympic Games veterans, thrower Jeanette Aceveda, and wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan, who was named skipper of the Philippine contingent.

Next is the 22-man chess team, bannered by 2017 Malaysia Asean Para Games triple gold medalist and FIDE Master Sander Severino, while the 12-man swimming team is spearheaded by Ernie Gawilan, who has won seven golds in the regional showcase for para athletes.

Archery has nine members, badminton eight, boccia four, goalball six, judo five, powerlifting eight, sitting volleyball 10, table tennis 13, while men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball has 12 and 11 members, respectively.

The delegation leaves on 26 July via a chartered flight.