47-man Philippine Team competes in Chengdu World Games

Sports

A LEAN but mean Philippine Team will vie for glory in the 12th World Games slated August 7 to 17 in Chengdu City, China.

A total of 47 Filipino athletes will be seeing action in the World Games, a competition that started in 1981 featuring sports that are not on the Olympic program.

Leading the Philippine delegation are wushu star Agatha Wong, top wakeboarder Raph Trinidad, and multi-title cue artist Rubilen Amit.

Since it started competing in the tournament, the country has so far won two gold, five silver, and five bronze medals.

Karate’s Junna Tsukii delivered the country’s lone medal—a gold—at the pandemic-delayed Birmingham Games in 2022. Reigning World 9-ball champion Carlo Biado accounted for the cuntry’s second medal in the 2017 World Games in Wroclaw.

Wong, a two-time world championships silver medalist and five-time Southeast Asian Games winner, and Trinidad, gold winner in the IWWF Asia and Oceania Championships in Pampanga last January, will be the flag bearers during the parade of athletes in the opening ceremony on August 7 at the Tianfu International Convention Center in Chengdu.

Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino said the 47-man Philippine Team is by far the country’s largest delegation in all World Games editions.

The floorball is composed of 14 Filipinos while Dragon Boat has 12 athletes.

Aside from Trinidad and Wong, individual sports participants also include women’s world 10-ball champion Amit are fellow pool aces Jeffrey De Luna and Chezka Centeno, jiu-jitsu’s Kayla Napolis and Annie Ramirez, kickboxer Hergie Bacyadan and Muay’s Rudzma Abubakar,powerlifting’s Joyce Reboton and Reggie Ramirez, sambo’s Aislinn Yap and triathlon’s Kim Mangrobang, Franklin Yee, Bea Quiambao, Maynard Pecson, John Patrick Ciron, and Merry Joy Trupa.(CCM)