Phl sends athletes to Vietnam for 5th ASEAN School Games

MANILA, Philippines (Xinhua) - The Philippines is sending 115 selected athletes who excelled in the recently concluded national sports fest to participate in the Fifth Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) School Games in Vietnam this coming week, a senior government official said today.

Education Secretary Armin Luistro said that the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) have chosen the country's delegates to the June 22-30 sports events in Hanoi from the athletes who won gold, silver, and bronze in the 2013 Palarong Pambansa (National Sports Fest).

"We wish our athletes good luck and remind them that they are not only competitors but our ambassadors of goodwill," he said, adding, "the event is an incentive for them and a chance for international exposure as well."

Luistro also expressed his appreciation to the PSC for actively supporting student athletes.

"We will continue to work together to enhance the promotion and development of sports in the country with the hope of producing more world-class athletes," he said.

The Fifth ASEAN Schools Games (ASG) will be participated in by over 1,500 athletes and coaches from the Philippines, Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The events are track and field, sepak takraw, swimming, badminton, basketball, gymnastics, table tennis, volleyball, and pencaksilat.

Organized under the auspices of the ASEAN Schools Sports Council (ASSC), an apolitical regional sports organization that promotes sports amongst member countries, the ASG aims to enhance friendship among students around the region. It also seeks to promote ASEAN solidarity among the youth through school sports and provide opportunities for school athletes to engage in cultural exchange.

The Philippines will host the sixth ASG next year.