The presence of current International Paralympic Committee President Andrew Parsons at the launching of the 10th ASEAN Para Games scheduled in Manila in January 2020 certainly gave a boost to the event, which the Philippines is hosting only for the second time.
Parsons cited the Asian and the South East Asian region specifically as a priority are for development by the IPC.
“We should be seeing more Asians in the Paralympics and as such, we will award points in the 10th ASEAN Para Games for the winners to improve their chances of qualifying in the 2020 Paralympics set in Japan,” he added.
“I feel like a Filipino already even with my short stay here,” said the Brazilian official after tasting local delicacy balut and trying out the tinikling dance at the welcome dinner hosted by the organizers at the Shangri-la at the Bonifacio Global City, where the ASEAN Para Sports Federation also held its meeting with Parsons as the special guest.
The ASEAN Para Games will be following the SEA Games, which the Philippines is also hosting the event to be played in three separate hubs –Metro Manila, the new Clark City and Subic, with around a thousand para-athletes from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Myanmar, Brunei, Laos, Cambodia, Timor Leste and host Philippines expected to participate.
Philippine Paralympic Committee and PHILSPADA President Mike Barredo is looking at a Top 4 finish for the Philippines.
“In the last two editions of this event, we improved from seventh to fifth. Now that the event will be held here, we stand a good chance of improving on our performance anew. We have not finalized the members yet since the events to be played were just finalized, but we are looking at around 200 local athletes in both the individual and team events,” said Barredo.
He singled out the events of athletics, swimming boccia, table tennis, and powerlifting, with Paralympics bronze medal winners in the past Josephine Medina in table tennis and powerlifter Adeline Domapong, expected to lead the Philippine charge.
The event is also fully backed by the Philippine Sports Commission, with an initial P5 million earmarked by the agency for the games.
Other events included in the event are archery, badminton, chess, cycling, football, 5-to-a-side and 7-to-a-side, goalball, judo, sailing, shooting, tenpin bowling, volleyball-sitting, and wheelchair events, like basketball, dance sport, fencing, rugby, and tennis in the initial list to be finalized.