Thursday, June 19, 2025

National Open athletics meet set in Isabela

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THIS year’s full-blown edition of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association Championships, popularly known as the National Open, promises to be extra special than previous editions, Philippine Athletic Track and Field officials announced yesterday.

With the country’s most prestigious track meet offering World Athletics qualifying points for the first time, Patafa officials expect at least 1,000 athletes from all over Asia to see action in the meet set March 21-26 at the Ilagan Sports Complex in Ilagan, Isabela.

“The top winners in each event of the National Open will get 100 ranking points in their quest to qualify for the world championships in Budapest, Hungary in August,” Patafa secretary general Edward Kho said during the launch of the meet at the Diamond Hotel.

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“This is higher than 80 points being offered for first place in the track and field events of the 32nd Cambodia Southeast Asian Games in May,” Kho said of the meet that will also serve as the final national team qualifying competition for the regional sportsfest.

Kho said because of the huge impact of the event, “we have been getting interest from our regional neighbors such as Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore as well as Hong Kong, Chinese-Taipei and Iraq.”

“We have set a cap of around 1,000 participants for the National Open to make it manageable for the host city,” added Kho, who thanked Ilagan Mayor Josemarie Diaz for accommodating the National Open anew.

“We expect nothing but first-class service from our gracious hosts led by Mayor Diaz,” he said.

Also present during the launch were Patafa national training director and former national standout Renato Unso, national head coach Jojo Posadas, Milo sports chief Carlo Sampan, Philippine Racing Commission chairman and Patafa consultant Reli de Leon, Cel Logistics senior vice president Ady Perez and Cel Logistics assistant vice president Anton Capistrano, the son of Patafa president Terry Capistrano.

With the prospects of earning qualifying points for the world meet and the fact that it is also a national team qualifier, Kho said majority of overseas-based athletes, except for pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, are committed to see action.

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