Exclusive hub for Para team pushed

MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine Para team needs sports facilities exclusively for its use for it to be successful in the international front.

Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC) president Michael Barredo cited as an example China, which has a facility for its own para athletes in Beijing.

“This is why the Chinese have been dominating the Paralympics since the 2004 edition in Athens,” said Barredo.

Truly, the Chinese have virtually claimed the overall championship with an impressive haul of 87-52-48 (gold-silver-bronze) with still a day to go before the Tokyo Paralympics concludes.

Barredo echoed the sentiment of national para coaches Joel Deriada (athletics) and Tony Ong (swimming) calling for government and the private sector to join forces in setting up a permanent and regular facility for the national para team.