Coming to the Philippines

It seems that the Philippines is gaining an international reputation as an excellent site for international sporting events. Even though the occasional travel advisory is slapped on the country by ill-advised business or political entities overseas, nothing seems to stop competitors from coming here.

The Philippines is hosting the Asian Clay Shooting Championships at the BUCOR (Bureau of Corrections) range in Muntinlupa from Oct. 25-31.

“This is a world-class site, the one used during SEA Games. This is a sport where we can win a gold even for the Olympics,” explains Auty Villarama of Waffle Marketing. “Each country will have at least 10 to 14 athletes, with China bringing 18 of their best shooters.”

Villarama has good reason to be excited. There are no less than 17 shooting associations from all over the region which participated in the 2006 edition in Singapore. From all indications, the Philippines is not only going to be a generous host, but a fierce competitor, as well.

Initially, men and women of the upper classes in Britain would shoot pheasants and game birds for sport, until 1860’s, when glass balls filled with feathers were introduced as an alternative. A throwing mechanism was invented, proving a less-expensive choice for people who couldn’t get out into open grounds or pay for pheasants.

The introduction of the artificial target opened the sport up to many more participants who did not have to pay for costly “hunting and shooting weekends.” At the end of the 19th century, the first clay target was used. Victorian English would often use these for practice before going onto their estates to shoot the live birds in the woods and fields.  The clay target seemed to simulate bird flight, and the “sporting” version shooting, it became a pastime, as well. By the early 1900’s it was considered the premiere shooting pastime, instead. In 1927 there was enough interest throughout Britain to have a British Open Championship.

In modern times, trap shooting has become more popular than clay shooting in Europe, but clay is on the rise in Asia, more so since the Olympics have been more frequently held in Asia.

Meanwhile, the Philippines, unknown to many, has also earned the right to host the Asian Dancesport Championships in November of 2008. The venue has yet to be decided.

“This is the first time that the country has earned the right to hold this prestigious event,” revealed Edgar Borromeo of the National Dance Teachers Council (NDTC). In April, the NDTC is accredited by the Games and Amusements Board as the regulatory body for professional dancesport. “We are very happy, more so since we are already even training dancesport athletes and trainors in other Southeast Asian countries. This is an acknowledgment of the skill of the Filipino dance athletes.”

Although dance as a sport originated in France, it was in the US where the idea of a competition was actually born. At the time, nationality or professionalism were not considerations. You danced as a couple, regardless of either partner’s citizenship. The case still holds today for the best professional couples in the world. In the early 1900’s, there was a championship for each individual dance. The 1911 World Championship in Paris was the first occasion for pro-am couples to compete.

Soon, however, political differences and personal disagreements between officials of national dance groups led to the creation of more than one international amateur federation. World War II further contributed to the breaking up of the European dance movement.

Eventually, agreement was reached on two categories: Standard and Latin dances. The Standard or more refined dances include the waltz, tango, Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot and quickstep. The Latin dances are the samba, cha cha cha, rumba, paso doble and jive, each with its own history and evolution. In Asia, countries like Japan led the way in evolving the sport of dance.

In the Philippines, dancesport was introduced into the mainstream over a decade ago. However, the sport was decidedly amateur, and generally relegated to social dancing engaged in by rich matrons and their dance instructors. Gradually, the pros came into the picture, trying to enforce a unified standard. Internationally, there has been a lobby to include dancesport in the Olympic Games. However, three years ago, the Executive Committee of the IOC voted down the applications of 14 sports, including dancesport, billiards, and bowling.

Internationally, however, the best couples are professionals, and generally would refuse to participate in an international amateur competition like the Olympics. So the sport remains divided in that regard.

But one thing is for certain, dancesport in the Philippines is rapidly gaining ground as a very competitive movement. Other Southeast Asian countries are already asking for help from the NDTC in raising the standard of their dancesport coaches and athletes.

That’s why they’re coming to the Philippines.