HANGZOU. – Except for one judoka who was left home due to illness, all 72 national para athletes who will see action in the 4th Hangzhou Asian Para Games here have been accounted for, according to Philippine chef de mission Ral Rosario.
“We had one judoka who got sick and was unable to make it here, but other than that all of the other 72 athletes are here,” said Rosario, who met the second batch of the Philippine contingent last Tuesday afternoon at the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport here.
Composed of 57 athletes and officials, among those who arrived were entries in archery, judo, powerlifting and table tennis, with national para swimmer Ernie Gawilan, a triple gold medalist in the 2018 Jakarta Para Games and veteran power lifter Adeline Dumapong among them.
Arriving late Monday night from Jakarta, Indonesia was chess player Jasper Rom, who won a gold five years ago in the Indonesian capital.
A former national swimming standout, Rosario said that except for the cool weather in the evening as autumn sets in, “all our athletes are adjusting quite well and settling in as they gear up for their respective events” in the stint supported by the Philippine Sports Commission.
Philippine Paralympic Committee president Mike Barredo is scheduled to arrive Thursday from Manila.
Scheduled on Friday is the welcome ceremony at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games Village for all of the participants.
With 57 athletes competing in 10 sports, the Philippines brought home 10 gold, eight silver and 11 bronze medals while winding up 11th overall in Jakarta.
Barredo said equaling, if not surpassing that haul, is the goal here, on top of the extra motivation of excelling since some sports such as athletics, swimming, power lifting and archery also serve as ranking or qualifying meets for the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games.
