Gilas spirit should live in Asiad – PSC

MANILA, Philippines - Carry the Gilas spirit to Incheon.

This was the challenge aired by the Philippine chef-de-mission to all those who will represent the country in the coming Asian Games in South Korea.

“I know that watching our basketball team play in Spain anything can happen in the Asian Games, too,” said Richie Garcia yesterday.

The chairman of the Philippine Sports Commission said Gilas players have gone beyond expectations in the ongoing FIBA World Cup in Seville, Spain.

Gilas has yet to win a match in three outings but has proven that it can compete against basketball superpowers like Croatia (No. 16) and Argentina (No. 3).

In both matches, the Philippines, ranked No. 34 in the world, had the chance to win.  

Garcia said the same thing could happen to the Philippines in the Asian Games scheduled Sept. 19 to Oct. 4 or barely a week after the FIBA event comes to a close.

Gilas will also be in Incheon to try and end a long dry spell. The last time the Philippines won the basketball gold was in 1962, and its last medal, a bronze, came in 1998.

“If our (Asiad) athletes can give the same effort as our basketball players in Spain, then we can win more medals,” said Garcia during the PSA Forum.

Garcia said Gilas games against teams like Croatia, which went into overtime, and Argentina were never meant to be close.

“The expectations in Spain is that we will get clobbered. But we have the heart,” he said during the forum where he was joined by Nanjing Youth Olympics gold medalist Gabriel Moreno.

“We are outsized and we are the underdogs but we showed that we can compete against the No. 3 team in the world (Argentina),” added Garcia.

“We showed that we can win. I also saw that in China,” he said, referring to the 16-year-old Moreno, who won the gold in archery’s mixed event.

Moreno came with his father, Federico Moreno, who heads the national archery association.

Garcia said everything is in place for the Philippine participation in the Asian Games, from the training of the athletes to their needs – equipment, uniforms, airfare, accommodation and allowances.

“We don’t want to give stress to our athletes,” he said.

Garcia will fly to Incheon on Sept. 10 for a couple of meetings among the delegation heads on Sept. 11 and 12. The big batch of athletes and officials will leave for Incheon on Sept. 15.

A total of 150 athletes will represent the country in the Incheon Asian Games.

Garcia did not issue any medal prediction but mentioned a handful sports where the country has good chances of winning medals.

“We have BMX, windsurfing, boxing, taekwondo and basketball, among others. But it’s hard to predict,” he said.

The archery team hopes to pick up where young Gabriel Moreno left off as it shoots at least for a medal finish.

The country will be sending a complete compound team, which Moreno described as medal hopeful.

“We are a very strong (team). It’s not yet at its peak, but very motivated, very excited, and medal hopeful,” said the elder Moreno.

Veteran Earl Yap, Joan Tabanag, Dean Adriano, Ian Chipeco, the comebacking Amaya Paz , among others, compose the team to the Asiad.

An inspiration to the Incheon-bound archers is the recent feat of the 16-year-old Moreno, who defied the odds and showed Filipino archers can deliver on the world stage.

“I think this is the start for all our athletes to believe na hindi imposibleng maka-gold sa Olympics,” said the younger Moreno in the session presented by Shakey’s, Accel, and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Moreno took up the sport at six, but not after trying other games such as basketball, karate, swimming, badminton, and soccer.

“Nung nag-enjoy siya sa archery, then that’s the time I supported him 100 percent,” said Moreno’s father, who is embarking on a six-year training program leading to the 2020 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“We’ve put in place a six-year training program, not only for the 2016 Rio de Jainero Olympics but also for the 2020 Olympics and the World Championship. Our mission is to win a gold in both Olympics and the World,” he said.

“For the Rio Olympics, we are targeting a complete men and women’s teams, aside from the individual entries. Matindi ang ang aming ambisyon, but we know we can do this.”

 The Philippine archery team hopes to pick up where young Gabriel Moreno left off as it shoots at least for a medal finish in the coming 17th Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.

The country will be sending a complete compound team in the Asiad that starts on Sept. 19, which newly-elected Philippine Archers National Network and Alliance Inc (PANNA) president Federico Moreno described as medal hopeful.

Moreno is the father of 16-year-old Gabriel, who won a gold medal in the recent Youth Olympic Games in Nanjing, China after teaming up with Li Jiaman of China in the mixed event.

“We are a very strong (team). It’s not yet at its peak, but very motivated, very excited, and medal hopeful,” said the elder Moreno, who appeared with his son in yesterday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

Veteran Earl Yap, Joan Tabanag, Dean Adriano, Ian Chipeco, the comebacking Amaya Paz , among others, compose the team to the Asiad.

An inspiration to the Incheon-bound archers is the recent feat of the 16-year-old Moreno, who defied the odds and showed Filipino archers can deliver on the world stage.

“I think this is the start for all our athletes to believe na hindi imposibleng maka-gold sa Olympics,” said the younger Moreno in the session presented by Shakey’s, Accel, and Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp.

Moreno took up the sport at six, but not after trying other games such as basketball, karate, swimming, badminton, and soccer.

“Nung nag-enjoy siya sa archery, then that’s the time I supported him 100 percent,” said Moreno’s father.

The success of the young Moreno is just the beginning of what the PANNA president said is a six-year training program he is implementing within the federation.

“We’ve put in place a six-year training program, not only for the 2016 Rio de Jainero Olympics but also for the 2020 Olympics and the World Championship. Our mission is to win a gold in both Olympics and the World,” he said.

“For the Rio Olympics, we are targeting a complete men and women’s teams, aside from the individual entries. Matindi ang ang aming ambisyon, but we know we can do this.”