The National Orienteering of the Philippines is in serious talks with top sports officials from the Polytechnic University of the Philippines and Technological University of the Philippines regarding the possibility of their Manila schools being co-hosts to the National Orienteering Qualifying Tournament.
The proposal was laid out recently in a discussion with Lualhati Dela Cruz, Chairperson of Master in Physical Education and Sports Program of the PUP. The NOP plans to hold its National Junior-Youth Orienteering Championship in mid-October 2021, with the winners of the qualifier representing the country in the 4th Asian Junior and Youth Orienteering Championship to be held in Hong Kong from December 23 to 27, 2021.
Dela Cruz will submit the NOP proposal to PUP president, Dr. Manuel M. Muhi, for final approval.
Parallel to this, the NOP also approached Allan Soria, athletic director of the TUP, regarding the school’s possible hosting of the NOP National Orienteering Championship qualifying tournament at year’s end, the winner of which is to see action in the Asian Orienteering Championship to be held in Pohang, Korea from May 1 to 5, 2022 and the World Orienteering Championship in Denmark in July 2022.
Soria is awaiting the blueprint of the NOP proposal before presenting it to Dr. Jesus Rodrigo F. Torres, TUP president, for official confirmation.
According to NOP president Antonio Tiu, NOP Secretary General Eric Samson and his deputy secretary-general Raul Ballado have been tasked to coordinate with the representatives from the PUP and TUP.
NOP is now accepting athlete’s membership.
For more information, contact Samson, Ballado, JC Clarito (NOP School Affairs) and Sean Elijah W. Siy (NOP Student-athletes affairs) at their respective Facebook accounts.
Training preparations for the national competitions have begun with online training programs offered to all athlete-participants to familiarize them with the competition’s regulation as presented by the Executive members from the Asian Orienteering Federation coming from Singapore, Japan, and Hong Kong.
Both Samson and Ballado have been actively discussing the early preparations by the NOP with the AOF, through Eugene Chow from Singapore, Lok Hin-Ma from Hong Kong and Kimiya Ochiai from Japan.
“Belgium’s Dirk Goossens has been very helpful as the NOP adviser for international competitions,” said Ballado, who is also is in close coordination with Raphael Mak, a Hong Kong native who is currently living in Sweden, to seek guidance in the conduct of the NOP Junior Orienteering qualifying tournament to the 4th AsJYOC this December.
A former member of the Police Special Forces, Ballado has been tasked to scout for potential orienteering athletes (male and female) that meet the age requirement of 20 years old or younger in the Junior category.
The athletes may come from the high school and university ranks or elsewhere as long as he/she is within the age requirement.
The NOP is affiliated with the International Orienteering Federation, which is based in Sweden.