Nat'l Games for special athletes up in Marikina

MANILA, Philippines - The first ever national games for the differently abled opened yesterday at the Marikina Sports Park in Marikina City. with organizers hoping the event may help fulfill the nation’s dream of first ever Olympic gold medal,

Sports leaders from the organizing Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) and Philippine Sports Association for the Differently Abled-National Paralympics Committee of the Philippines (Philspada-NPC Phils) are looking forward to a bigger second staging of the games next year and a chance to win the first ever gold medal in the 2012 London Paralympic Games in August.

 “There is a possibility that the country’s first gold medal in the Olympics will come from you guys,” said PSC commissioner Akiko Thomson-Guevara in her message to the athletes during yesterday’s opening ceremony at the Marikina Sports Park oval. “Despite the limitations you have, you continue to bring pride to the country and continue to inspire us all.”

Also present in the simple opening rites were PSC commissioner Jose Luis Gomez, Philspada-NPC Phils chairman Michael Barredo, Philspada-NPC Phils secretary-general Carlos Weber Jr., National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) OIC Matt Lee Jr., DILG representative Mr. Cesar Montances, DepEd assistant secretary Tonisito Umali, Marikina Sports Park administrator Dr. Angelito Llabres and Marikina City administrator Victoriano Sabiniano, who represented for Marikina City Mayor Del De Guzman.  

“This is the 15th year of Philspada and we are celebrating it by staging our first national games,” said Barredo, a former PSC commissioner himself. “We thank Marikina for welcoming us here and for making their sports park disabled-friendly. Next year, another will host the event and they will also make it disabled-friendly like in our sports complex.”

Gomez, meanwhile, promised to continue supporting the differently-abled athletes. In his speech, he narrated how the PSC-Philspada National Games was conceived.

“Last year during the POC-PSC National Games in Bacolod, Mike Barredo came to me and said that we should be part of the Games and I told him you should have your own national Games,’” Gomez said.

Gomez added that there still a lot of athletes, abled and otherwise, in the provinces waiting to be tapped.  And through the PSC’s Sports For All initiative, he promised to give the athletes from the provinces more opportunities to shine.  

The first PSC-Philspada National Games features nine events namely athletics, swimming, table tennis, powerlifting, badminton, tenpin bowling, chess, goalball and wheelchair basketball.

Wheelchair tennis, cycling and boccia, meanwhile, will be played as demo sports.

More than 550 athletes from all over the country registered for the four-day meet.

“Those who will perform well here will be sent to the next level which is the ASEAN Para Games, then to the Asian level, then the World Games and to the Paralympics,” said Weber.

According to Weber, there’s a chance that the Philippines can send nine to 12 athletes to the London Paralympics. The 12 are Isidro Vildosola, Joel Balatucan, Roger Tapia and Ruth Openia in athletics; Adeline Ancheta and Achelle Guion in powerlifting; Josephine Medina in table tennis, Arnel Aba, Ernie Gawilan and Ma. Josephine Bea Riza Roble in swimming; and Arthus Bucay and Godfrey Taberna in cycling.

Bucay and Taberna will leave today for Malaysia today to vie for Paralympic slots in the 2012 Asian Cycling Championships.

Weber is confident the Philippines will bring home medals from London.

“Hindi ko lang masiguro kung anong kulay ng medalya,” he said. “But Adeline (Ancheta) has broken the ASEAN record so I guess, she is one of the favorites. At yung mga cyclists natin, malaki rin ang chance sa London.”

Ancheta, a  bronze medalist in the 2000 Sydney Paralympics, set a new record (120 kgs) in the 82.5kg class during the 6th ASEAN Para Games in Indonesia last December. She is also slated to compete in the 4th Fazaa International Powerlifting Competition in Dubai on February 21-27.

The Philippines also bagged 23 gold medals in the 6th ASEAN Para Games.

Games will resume today at the Marikina Sports Park and at the nearby Q-Plaza Bowling Lanes.