The country is eyeing to send around 100 differently abled athletes and officials to the fourth Asean Para Games in Nakhonratchasima in Thailand next year.
The Philippine Sports Association for the Differently Abled-National Paralympic Committee of the Philippines (PHILSPADA-NPC Philippines) bared this out as it is now in the midst of forming the RP delegation for the Jan. 17-27, 2008 event that is held shortly after the 24th Southeast Asian Games in the same Thai city.
Philspada head Michael Barredo considers the RP contingent as conservative compared to the size of delegation the other countries will be sending.
“The other countries are sending bigger delegations. We’re looking at sending more athletes so we’re trying to raise funds and seeking additional sponsors,” said Barredo in the weekly PSA Forum at the main function room of the Pantalan Restaurant in Manila.
The budget of the 100-man RP delegation will be shouldered by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC).
In contrast to the 2005 edition of the Paragames held here where 10 events were at stake, the host country offers 14 sports discipline to be disputed this time, according to RP contingent chef de mission Ral Rosario, who was also present in the session sponsored by PAGCOR, Manila Mayor Lito Atienza and son Arnold ”Ali” Atienza, along with Philspada vice-president Lito Arellano.
Among the events to be disputed by athletes who are visually impaired (blind), Orthopedically Handicapped (OH), Cerebral Palsy (CP) and Intellectually Disabled (ID) are archery, athletics, badminton, boccia, chess, fencing goalball, judo, powerlifting, shooting, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball and wheelchair tennis.
The Filipinos, according to Barredo, are the defending champions in chess, where it won a total of eight gold medals during the 2005 Manila Paragames.
That eight gold medals form part of the country’s 22-42-40 (gold-silver-bronze) medal haul two years ago, enabling the Filipinos to finish seventh overall.
“But we hope to raise the ladder by at least two more notches,” said Arellano.
Over 1,500 differently abled athletes and officials from ASEAN member countries are taking part in the biennial meet.
The country is seeing action in the event being an active charter member of the ASEAN Para Sports Federation.