Para Games athletes due

The best differently-abled athletes from Southeast Asia are expected to arrive in Manila early next week to see action in the Third ASEAN Para Games set to unfurl Dec. 14-21 at the historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

According to Michael Barredo, chairman of the Philippine ASEAN Para Games Organizing Committee (PAPGOC), the final entries by number of the 10 participating foreign countries have already been received by the organizers who are expecting more than 1,000 foreign athletes and officials, not to mention visiting tourists and the media.

Powerhouse Thailand, the reigning Para Games champion in the region and arch rival of the host country, will be sending 252 delegates and is expected to go all out to defend its title in the Games presented by the PCSO, PSC, and DPWH and backed by PLDT-Smart, Systems Technology, Inc., Pag-ibig, SM Shoemart, Philpost, Philspada, NBN-4, Manila Bulletin, and the city government of Manila under Mayor Lito Atienza.

Malaysia has a contingent of 176 athletes and officials, while Vietnam, the 2003 Southeast Asian Games champion, will be sending 108 delegates to the biennial event, which will be hosted by the Philippines for the first time.

Barredo, who is the Board of Governors chairman of the ASEAN Para Sports Federation and president of the 113-nation member International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA), said the Philippine contingent will have 200 athletes and officials.

Indonesia will send 70 delegates, Singapore has 46, Brunei has 40, Myanmar has 30, Timor Leste has 23, Cambodia has 13, and Laos will send 6 delegates to the Games also supported by American President Line, Pfizer Inc., Red Ribbon, Crossover 105.1, Sports Radio, IBM Computers, Mettaphione, GSIS, and various national government agencies.

„We are still anticipating some late entries from these participating nations to come in before the delegates arrive in Manila early next week,‰ said Barredo.

Among the sports included in the calendar which will feature amputees, cerebral palsied, intellectually disabled, les autres, visually impaired, and wheelchair users athletes are athletics, swimming, powerlifting, badminton, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, goalball, chess, wheelchair tennis, and judo, while demonstration sports include sailing, boccia, ten pin bowling, and fencing.

The main hub for the Games is the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, while the San Andres Sports and Civic Center, GSIS Gymnasium, and Robinsons Place Manila will serve as satellite venues.