AAA head due for 83rd council meet

MANILA, Philippines - Asian Athletics Association president Dahlan Al-Hamad of Qatar will lead more than 30 officials from 20 countries gracing the 83rd AAA Council Meeting set Oct. 25-27 at Solaire Resort and Casino.

The three-day meet will focus on advancing athletics in the region.

“This is a huge honor for the country because once again the Philippines is being given the distinction as a prime mover in athletics in Asia,” said Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) president Philip Ella Juico in yesterday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum at Shakey’s Malate.

The event marks the Philippines return to the Asian athletics stage since the late Gov. and Patafa president Jose Sering spearheaded the formation of the 4As (forerunner of the AAA) in 1973 and staged the first Asian Athletics Championships at the Rodriguez Sports Center in Marikina.

The country staged the 4As again in 1993 under then athletics chief Go Teng Kok.

But the hosting of the bi-annual council meeting marks the fourth time the Philippines will be host after 1973, 1993 and 2003.

“Aside from Japan, no other country has hosted the council meeting more than three times,” said Juico, who was with Patafa sec-gen Renato Unso in the public sports program presented by San Miguel Corp., Accel, Shakey’s, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. “And we’re the only Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) country doing this.”

Included in the meeting’s agenda is the approval of the formation of AAA Commissions, submission of the final report of the 21st Asian Athletics Championships held in Wuhan, China last June, review of the progress reports on the recent Asian competitions, and the council decision on hosts of upcoming AAA Championships.

Juico, also the AAA vice president, also expressed hopes to use the hosting in advancing the proposal for the establishment of regional centers of excellence in athletics within the continent and give significance to the intensive effort of the country in popularizing and developing athletics in the country.

“With this hosting, hopefully highlight could be given to the Philippines’ proactive role in the development of Asian athletics especially among the youth as it strengthens its Street Athletics and Kids Athletics programs, and its weekly relays which has definitely helped raise the standards of Philippine athletics,” said the Patafa head.

The 83rd AAA council meeting also marks the integral cooperation of the Patafa and the private sector, with the PCSO, Toyota, Asia Brewery, RC Cola, PNB, Foton Motors, and Asia Carmakers Corp. as event partners.