Tag: #sports

31st SEA Games in Vietnam to open in May 2022

31st SEA Games in Vietnam to open in May 2022

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The SEA Games Federation had its official meeting this past Monday and the news are already spreading (refer to the reports of the Philippine News Agency, the Bangkok Post and The Straits Times)…the delayed 31st Southeast Asian Games (referred to as 31st SEA Games or Hanoi 2021) in Hanoi, Vietnam will officially begin in the middle of May 2022 although the specific date has yet to be determined. Take note that the 31st SEA Games were postponed previously due to the COVID-19 crisis that is still ongoing.

To put things in perspective, posted below is an excerpt from the Philippine News Agency report. Some parts in boldface…

Vietnam is looking to begin the 31st Southeast Asian (SEA) Games by the middle of May next year.

This was confirmed during the SEA Games Federation meeting on Monday.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Bambol Tolentino proposed during the online meeting for the event to formally open by May 12.

“As the debate went on, I suggested for a May 12 opening ceremony, a Monday,” Tolentino said. “The Vietnamese organizers will confirm the specific dates soon.”

Originally scheduled from November 21 to December 2 this year, the SEA Games, still set to take place in Hanoi, was moved to May due to the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic.

Traditionally being done every odd-numbered year ever since its first staging in 1959, the 31st edition would mark the first time the event will happen in an even-numbered year.

A total of 520 events from 40 sports will take place in Hanoi with the Philippine team participating in 39 of the sports.

However, it is expected that the SEA Games will return to its usual every odd-numbered year schedule by the 32nd edition with Cambodia finally getting a chance to host the biennial meet.

But the 2023 host is set to hold the SEA Games at an earlier date, which posed a problem during the federation meeting since the May 2022 start to the Vietnam games has been set too.

For the newcomers on this website, I previously blogged about 2019 Southeast Asian Games (2019 SEA Games) mainly focused on the sport of triathlon which itself was added to the 31st SEA Games (refer to published news reports here and here, plus my own blog post here). The Philippines won the gold and silver medals in the 2019 SEA Games triathlon events for men and women and the gold in the mixed relay triathlon. The Philippines also won the gold, silver and bronze medals in the duathlon events for women, men and mixed relay respectively. In the first quarter of 2020, I featured SEA Games triathlon gold medalists Kim Mangrobang and John Chicano. Personally, I am anticipating the Philippines’ participation in the triathlon and duathlon events of the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: Are you looking forward to the 31st SEA Games? What is the one sport you are looking forward to watch in the Hanoi SEA Games? Do you think that the Philippines will be able to win big in the 31st SEA Games in Vietnam? Are you willing to support the Philippine team athletes through the Ayuda sa Atleta program?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

It’s a silver medal won by Nesthy Petecio for the Philippines at the Tokyo Olympics!

It’s a silver medal won by Nesthy Petecio for the Philippines at the Tokyo Olympics!

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Like the late Philippine boxer Anthony Villanueva, Nesthy Petecio will bring back home an Olympic silver medal (thank the Lord for another medal for the nation) now that the finals of the women’s featherweight (54-57kg) division is over. Yesterday, Petecio did her best in the quest for another Olympic gold medal as she fought with Japan’s Sena Irie resulting a loss by means of a unanimous decision.

Regardless, Petecio has been congratulated by many in the Philippines and her silver medal finish is still highly significant as it boosted the nation in the Olympic medal rankings (now 1 gold and 1 silver). Her also achievement brings back memories of Anthony Villanueva who, like her, settled for the silver medal in the same sport (specifically men’s featherweight division) in the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games. Villanueva lost to the Soviet Union’s Stanislav Stepashkin in the final match.

To put things in perspective about the Petecio-Irie fight, posted below is the excerpt from the GMA Network sports news report. Some parts in boldface…

A gallant Nesthy Petecio fell short as she settled for a silver medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics after bowing to hometown bet Sena Irie of Japan in the final round of the women’s featherweight division Tuesday at the Kokugikan Arena.

The 29-year-old pug struggled to connect in the first round as Irie, who is nine years younger than the FIlipina fighter, utilized an effective clinch game to slow Petecio’s offense. The Japanese boxer got the nod of all five judges, 10-9.

But Petecio battled back in the second round as she broke free to landed some strong punches to secure a 4-1 scorecard and brought the bout to a decision in the last round.

In the crucial third round, Irie was able continued to be effective in grabbing and holding Petecio, though the Filipina was able to launch some power shots.

All five judges saw the round in favor of the Japanese fighter, though, as she won 5-0 to clinch the gold medal.

Irie is a very familiar face to Petecio.

She denied the Filipino boxer an outright Olympic berth when they met in the Asia and Oceania Olympic Boxing Qualifiers last March 2020.

Petecio needed to wait for a few more months before formalizing her Tokyo entry after a decision to give her the slot was made by the International Olympic Committee Boxing Task Force (IOC-BTF) early this year.

The feat also allowed Petecio to match what the last Filipino Olympic boxing medalist, Onyok Velasco, accomplished in the 1996 Atlanta Games, where he won a silver medal.

Despite the loss, it was still an inspiring campaign for the gritty Petecio.

She has opened up about her battle with mental health issues before bouncing back strong in her recent outings.

In a heartfelt interview on Stand For Truth, Petecio revealed she had to overcome depression after a discouraging loss in the 2018 Asian Games, which had her questioning her place in the sport.

But displaying true fighting spirit, the Davao-born boxer returned and captured gold in both the 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship and the 2019 Southeast Asian Games.

As you can see in the above report, Petecio went through lots of challenges behind the scenes and fortunately for the Philippines, she made it to the Olympics in Japan and defeated all the opponents which led her (and the nation) in the finals of her weight division.

Considering all what she went through, the Olympic silver medal finish is still highly significant for the Philippines and it proves that the nation is indeed improving globally in sports while also making its place in 21st century Olympic history look even better. Adding more good news here is the fact that the Philippine hunt for gold in the Olympics is not yet over.

Unsurprisingly, Petecio will be rewarded deservingly. According to a Manila Bulletin news report, the silver medalist is entitled to a P5 million incentive from the national government in accordance to Republic Act Number 10699 (RA10699) and more from the private sector. Even before her final match took place, the private company Ovialand announced it is committed to granting Petecio one house-and-lot unit located in Caliya, Candelaria. The property is worth P2.5 million.

For those of you based in the Philippines reading this, do your part congratulating and thanking Petecio for winning Olympic honors for the Philippines. Also be sure to thank our Heavenly Father for this blessing for the country.

Let me end this piece by asking you readers: If you are based in the Philippines, what is your reaction to Petecio taking home the Olympic silver medal? If you saw the fight on TV, do you think the judges were correct in scoring the boxing match?

You may answer in the comments below. If you prefer to answer privately, you may do so by sending me a direct message online.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Ayuda sa Atleta campaign launched

Ayuda sa Atleta campaign launched

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A special campaign to help raise funds and donations in-kind for national athletes, both regular and the differently abled ones, and dubbed AYUDA SA ATLETA, was launched recently as an initiative of the private sector to help them in these difficult times of the pandemic.

Triathlon President and former Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) chairman Tom Carrasco and veteran sports journalist and management consultant Lito Cinco, who wrote about the need for a community pantry of assistance to national athletes in his column The Bottom Line last April 21, co-lead the group. Joining them are sepak takraw President and POC official Karen Tanchanco Caballero, sports science figure and former national archer Nino Sinco, and sportsman/sports patron Alex Wang of Wang’s Ballclub.

The group is tasked to plan and manage the program, from raising funds all the way to distribution of the assistance to the recipients, initially with the differently-abled athletes who are more in need, “We know we cannot cover the total 1,500 number of national athletes and coaches, that is why decided to start off with the differently-abled ones and are in touch with PHILSPADA to get the complete roster,“ said Carrasco.

“We have categorized the assistance in the form of vitamins, sports drinks, energy bars, and personal hygiene items for those who would like to give in kind. Fortunately, Cebuana Lhuillier President/CEO Jean Henri Lhuillier, himself a sports man and long-time supporter of Philippine sports has jumpstarted the program with a P250,000 donation. We hope other sports-loving companies and individuals will follow his lead, our national athletes who have brought us honor certainly deserve to be helped during this pandemic,“ added Carrasco, whose company, Asian Centre for Insulation Philippines also donated P25,000 to the cause.

On his part, Cinco who has been long involved in projects for the needy, including current community pantries in Mandaluyong, said, “I was inspired by what I have seen about this community program that has grown all over and I thought, why not initiate one for athletes, and wrote about it . The following day after my column came out, I got a call from Cebuana Lhuillier pledging assistance. I was not really surprised about the help extended as I have known Jean Henri as sports patron for a long time.”

Solicitation letters will be sent to various companies and individuals for cash and in-kind donations, with the group promising transparency for all funds received and expenses made.

“Our target is to start the distribution to athletes by June to give us time to raise more donations so we can cover more athletes,“ concluded Carrasco.

For interested parties, contact persons for the program are Carrasco, 0917 8992999, Cinco, 0920 9241981 and lito_cinco@yahoo.com, Wang, 0943 0119811, and Tanchanco, dsgkarencaballero@olympic.ph

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Note: Some parts of the above press release were edited for this website.

Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com

Triathlon’s inclusion in the 2021 Southeast Asian Games confirmed!

Triathlon’s inclusion in the 2021 Southeast Asian Games confirmed!

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Hey triathlon fans and sports enthusiasts! If you are looking for some important triathlon news right now, here’s the big one – triathlon has officially been added to the 2021 Southeast Asian Games (2021 SEA Games) which will be hosted by Vietnam!

According to a report published by VnExpress.net written by Dang Khoa, the Southeast Asian Games Federation Executive Committee approved the inclusion of triathlon and a few other sports in the said regional games. The mentioned federation had an online meeting and a formal announcement will be made next month.

The official logo of the Southeast Asian Games Federation.

More on triathlon, here’s an excerpt from the report:

Vietnam said triathlon (swimming, cycling and running) is a developing sport with many international races being held in the region. It was also included in previous editions of the games.

Vietnam, which plans to hold a triathlon in the northern Quang Ninh Province, will set up a federation in future to develop the sport in the country.

As you can see in the above details, triathlon’s inclusion is significant not only because there are already sufficient SEA Games nation members that competed in the regional games’ official triathlon events but also it adds weight to the development of the multisport in Vietnam. Vietnam, which has a population of more than 96 million people, already has its own communities of triathletes and has hosted several triathlon events.

Here in the Philippines, Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Abraham Tolentino reacted to the inclusion of triathlon, jiujitsu, esports and bowling in next year’s SEA Games.

Tolentino stated: This is good news for us because we dominated three of these four sports when we hosted the games in December 2019.

In last year’s SEA Games, the Philippines won the gold medals in the men’s triathlon, the women’s triathlon and the mixed relay triathlon at Subic Bay.

Here on my website, I invite you to check out my feature articles of 2019 SEA Games triathlon gold medalists Kim Mangrobang and John Chicano so you can know them better. If you are interested to follow triathlon developments in the Philippines, visit the Triathlon Association of the Philippines (TRAP) official FB page.

The 2021 SEA Games in Vietnam will be held from November 21 to December 2 next year. The nation previously hosted the SEA Games way back in twenty-o-three.

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Thank you for reading. If you find this article engaging, please click the like button below and also please consider sharing this article to others. If you are looking for a copywriter to create content for your special project or business, check out my services and my portfolio. Feel free to contact me as well. Also please feel free to visit my Facebook page Author Carlo Carrasco and follow me at HavenorFantasy@twitter.com