Cebuano judoka off to Asian Junior Sports Exchange

CEBU, Philippines - Cebuano Joaquin Nicolo Fernandez had been chosen as one of the seven Pinoy representatives in this year’s Asian Junior Sports Exchange Games 2011 in Tokyo, Japan.

The team is set to leave today and is expected to be back in Manila on the 29th.

Other members of the delegation are Kevin Angelo Gonzales, Franz Darren Kim, Christian Bernard Bautista, Queeney Marie Saenz, Eunice Lucero and Maria Victoria Ballester.

Fernandez and his group will showcase their wares against other selected athletes from Bangkok, Delhi, Hanoi, Hong Kong, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Yangon, Ulaanbaatar, and host Tokyo.

Prior to the friendly matches, there will be an international sports camp by some invited Olympic medalists that will tackle “Talking through Skills" for players and refereeing seminar for officials not only in judo but also in badminton.

More than just another international exposure participants get to be with athletes afflicted by the so-called “Great East Japan Earthquake” including from Iwate, Miyagi, Fukushima, and Ibaraki and give them moral support and encou-ragement to move on. – THE FREEMAN