FILIPINO campaigners in the 20th Asian Games in Aichi Nagoya, Japan in September next year will need to brace for hot and dry conditions, according to Philippine Olympic Committee secretary general Atty. Wharton Chan.
“We were in Nagoya with POC president Bambol Tolentino in Nagoya last week to expect the Asian Games facilities and it was quite hot and dry. We can expect the same weather when we get there next year,” Chan said.
He said that he and the POC chief were there last week in the port city located 346 kilometers southwest of the Japanese capital of Tokyo and were given an extensive tour by the Japanese hosts of the competition venues that will be used during the Asiad, some of them still under construction.
“We had to walk sometimes while inspecting these venues, so it was quite hot,” recalled Chan, who, together with Tolentino, were generally left satisfied by the progress of the preparations for the Asian Games, given the renowned efficiency of the Japanese.
The POC official said that the most remote venue was the Nishio City Central Gymnasium for boxing and that the Asiad organizers were planning to set up separate quarters for the boxing contingents so they would be near the site.
Chan disclosed that he and Tolentino took a side trip to Tokyo and were able to visit up and coming gymnast Karl EdlrewYulo, the younger brother of Paris Olympic double gold medalist Carlos EdrielYulo and currently training with celebrated Japanese coach MunehiroKugimiya.
“We saw how Eldrew trained and he had Filipino-Canadian Evan Aliwalas as his training partner with him in working out with coach Kugimiya,” said Chan of the athlete, who is an Olympic Solidarity scholar and will be eligible to compete for the country in the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
“The boy (Yulo) looked impressive in his workouts and we look forward to seeing big things from him in international competition in the near futiure,” he noted
The Pinoy bets will be seeking to match if not surpass the four gold, two silver and 12 bronze medals, good for 17th overall in the standings. that the country garnered in the 19th Asiad in Hangzhou, China two years ago.
The mints were courtesy of pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, jiu-jitsu stars Annie Ramirez and Meggie Ochoa and the Tim Cone-mentored Gilas Pilipinas men’s basketball squad, which broke a 51-year-old dry spell since PH basketeers ruled the continental cagefest the 1962 Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
