RARING and eager to spring into action, 144 athletes in 11 sports aim to make the country proud in the 11th Asean Para Games scheduled July 30 to Aug. 6 in Surakarta, Indonesia.
The list of the national squad was finalized recently, according to Philippine Paralympic Committee President Mike Barredo, who announced the composition of the contingent yesterday.
“This is a hungry team, a fighting team that is eager to showcase its skills and talents after being deprived of international competition for over two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” Barredo said.
“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,” he added.
Barredo thanked the Philippine Sports Commission for allowing the national para athletes to train intensively in a bubble for over a month at the Philsports Complex in Pasig City.
“This training has armed them well for the action ahead in Indonesia,” said Barredo, who expressed optimism the national campaigners would be able to surpass their 20 gold, 20 silver and 29 bronze medal haul, good for fifth overall, in the 2017 edition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
The track and field team has the biggest number of entries with 24, led by, thrower Jeanette Aceveda and wheelchair racer Jerrold Mangliwan, who was named skipper of the athletics contingent. The two are Tokyo Paralympic Games veterans.
Chess has 22 members, led by 2017 Malaysia Asean Para Games triple gold medalist and FIDE Master Sander Severino, while the 12-man swimming team is led by Ernie Gawilan, who has won seven golds in the regional showcase for para athletes.
Archery has nine members, badminton eight, boccia 4, goalball 6, judo five, powerlifting eight, sitting volleyball 10, table tennis 13, while men’s and women’s wheelchair basketball has 12 and 11 members, respectively.
Fully funded by the PSC, the 212-man delegation is set to leave on a chartered flight for the Java provincial capital of Surakarta on July 26.
