Hidilyn Diaz wins Philippines' first Olympic medal since 1996!

She is also the first Filipina to win an Olympic medal!

Click here for Team Philippines updates in the Rio 2016 Olympics!

Team Philippines - Athletes, Schedule and Results

2016 3x3 U18 World Championships

Kobe Paras' U18 team last year failed to pass the group stages and finished 17th out of 24 overall. Can Team Philippines perform better this time?

Gilas Pilipinas captures another FIBA Asia C'ship Silver Medal

Gilas Pilipinas fall short of bagging another gold in the FIBA Asia Championships and outright ticket to the Rio Olympics after losing to China 67-78.

2015 Asian Men's Volleyball Club Championship

The Philippine team is represented by the Cignal HD Spikers who aim to improve on the 7th place finish of the country in the last year's edition which was held here in Manila!

Get to know our delegates to the 28th SEA Games!

Philippines is sending a total of 460 athletes to the 28th SEA Games this time with an aim of a better finish after worst 7th place performance in Myanmar two years ago.

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Another Filipino reaches Rio Olympics as Charly Suarez scores second-round TKO over Chinese foe

CHARLY Suarez became the second Filipino to secure a berth in the Rio De Janeiro Olympics after reaching the finals of the Asia/Oceania Qualifying Tournament in Qian’an, China on Thursday.
Suarez defeated home bet Shan Jun via technical knockout in the semifinals of the lightweight division, assuring the Filipino fighter of at least a silver in the competition and a berth in the Olympic Games.
Suarez will face Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu of Mongolia for the gold after he beat Daisuke Narimatsu of Japan, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28.

The 27-year-old Suarez, a silver medalist in the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, joined light flyweight Rogen Ladon, who earlier copped a ticket to Rio with a victory over an Indian foe.

Source: Reuben Terrado of Spin.ph

Colonia set to join fellow lifter Diaz in Rio

photo (c) Spin.ph
Count Filipino lifter Nestor Colonia in the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.

By just showing up in the coming Asian championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, national weightlifting coach Dondon Aldanete said the 22-year-old pride of Zamboanga City would already be eligible for the Olympics.

“He’s already ranked fourth in the world. Part of the requirement for him to officially qualify is to join the team event,” said Aldanete, pointing out that Colonia would only need the points in the team competition of the continental championship to join fellow lifter
Hidilyn Diaz in Rio.

Colonia bagged a bronze medal in the clean and jerk (158kg) in the recent world championship held in Houston, Texas but wound up fourth in the snatch (124) and total (282) in the 56kg men’s category.

Diaz, who scooped three bronze medals in the women’s 53kg of the world championships, has already cemented her third straight Olympics.

The Asian Weightlifting Championship is set April 21-30 where 10 Filipino lifters (six men, four women) will participate in the team event headlined by Diaz and Colonia.

Team delegation head Romy Magat said he would secure the certification from the International Weightlifting Federation that would officially declare Diaz as a qualifier to the Olympics.
Joining Diaz and Colonia in the Asian championships are Ellen Rose Perez, Kristel Mae Macrohon, Maria Dessa Delos Santos, Roel Garcia, Elbert Atilano Jr., Karl Louise Macrohon and Joshua Dinglasan.

Aldanete said Colonia would need to lift a total of 280-300 kg to seize a medal in Rio while Diaz should carry 230kg to earn a podium finish.

Diaz has a personal best of 214 in the total—96 in the snatch and 118 in the clean and jerk.
“The chances are brighter for Nestor to medal based on his previous performances,” said Magat.
Once Colonia qualifies, it will be the first time for the Philippines to have a pair of lifters in the Games since Gregorio Colonia, SamuelAligada and Ramon Solis made it in 1988 Seoul.

Source: June Navarro of Inquirer Sports

Rogen Ladon qualifies for Rio Olympics after advancing to gold medal match in China

ROGEN Ladon of the Philippines defeated Devendro Singh Laishram of India via unanimous decision in the semifinals of the Asia/Oceania Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Qian’an, China on Thursday to claim a berth in the Rio De Janeiro Olympics.
Ladon got the nod of all three judges, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, to advance to the finals of the men’s light flyweight class.
More important, Ladon became the first Filipino boxer to clinch a spot in Rio De Janeiro by virtue of an assured top two finish in the Asia/Oceania qualification tournament.
Source: Reuben Terrado of Spin.ph

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Four Filipino boxers a win away from Olympic berths after reaching semis in China qualifier

FOUR Filipino boxers made it to the semifinals of the 2016 Asian/Oceania Qualification Event in Qian'an, China to move a win away from securing a berth in the Rio De Janeiro Olympics.
Bantamweight Mario Fernandez led the big day for the Filipino boxers as the Southeast Asian Games champion beat Mohammad Alwadi of Jordan via unanimous decision during the evening session on Tuesday.
Also entering ithe semifinals were Rogen Ladon, Charly Suarez, and Eumir Felix Marcial.
Ladon defeated Al-Kaabi Hasan Ali Shakir of Iraq via unanimous decision in their light flyweight bout while Suarez pulled off a similar unanimous decision win over Rangi Deeraj of India in the lightweight division.
Marcial, also a SEA Games champion, won over Kazemzadehposhtiri Sajjad of Iran via unanimous decision in the welterweight class.
Fernandez, Ladon, Suarez, and Marcial will now have two chances of punching a ticket to Rio, which they can do either by winning their semifinal bout on Thursday or by taking the bronze medal as the top three boxers in each division will gain an Olympic berth.
Female boxer Nesthy Petecio, however, was not as fortunate as she lost in the quarterfinal round in the flyweight division to Mary Kom of India.
Source: Reuben Terrado of Spin.ph

Philippine Azkals pull off great fightback, stun North Korea in five-goal thriller

THE Philippine men’s football team refused to disappoint the home crowd as it stunned North Korea, 3-2, to finish its World Cup/Asian Cup second-round qualifying campaign on a high note on Tuesday night.
The Azkals squandered an early lead, but stayed strong defensively before finally getting rewarded with two goals late in the second half to secure the impressive victory against a country ranked 94th in the world.
Iaian Ramsay came off the bench in the second half and scored the game-winner a minute before stoppage time off a cross from Javier Patino that left the Rizal Memorial Stadium crowd of over 7,000 in a frenzy.
The Philippines is now assured of a berth in the third round of the Asian Cup qualifying after finishing the second round in third spot with 10 points in eight matches.
Source: Karlo Sacamos of Spin.ph

AIBA Asian & Oceanian Olympic Qualification Event


*Top 3 in Men's Category qualify to the Olympics
**Top 2 in Women's Category qualify to the Olympics



Torres eyes third straight Olympic stint at Asian tilt

Marestella Torres gets the chance to qualify for her third successive Olympics in Rio de Janeiro when she competes in the 19th Asian Masters Athletics Championships on May 4 to 9 in Singapore.

The former Asian long jump queen and current Southeast Asian Games record holder hopes to reach her performance peak a week before the continental qualifier, according to Philippine Masters Athletics Association coordinator Paul Ycasas.

Torres turned 35 last Feb. 20 and is eligible to join the Masters, an IAAF-sanctioned tournament for former national athletes.

“Marestella’s performance here will be official since the Asian Masters is sanctioned by the IAAF,” said Ycasas.

Torres, who also saw action in the 2008 Beijing and 2012 London Olympics, will qualify for Rio de Janeiro if she tops the Olympic qualifying standard of 6.70 meters in Singapore’s National Stadium.
Her previous results weren’t encouraging, though, for a jumper who boasts a Philippine-best 6.71m which she set in 2011.

Slowed by motherhood, she registered 6.41m in last year’s Southeast Asian Games in Singapore and settled for the bronze medal.

Torres missed serious competition in the recent Philippine National Games in Lingayen, Pangasinan, and leaped 6.13m.

Torres will spearhead the PH campaign in the Asian Masters along with former SEA Games gold medalists Arneil Ferrera (throwing events), Jobert Delicano (long jump), Rene Herrera (3,000m steeplechase) and Lerma Bulauitan-Gabito (100m, 200m and long jump).

Source: June Navarro of Inquirer.net

Super Liga invited to Croatian tournament but yet to confirm participation due to scheduling conflict

THE Philippine Super Liga has been invited to join a tournament in Croatia but could not confirm participation because of scheduling conflict with the PSL All Filipino Conference in July.
PSL earlier confirmed a selection will go on the road again to see action against the Hong Kong national team on June 12, but has yet to decide on the Croatian meet.
"The invitation is already up there; it's not up to us to grab it," said PSL president Tats Suzara.
"Unfortunately, I couldn't commit right away because the tournament will smack with the All-Filipino. It would have been a perfect opportunity to give our players a very good exposure against top European players," he added.
For now, it’s wait and see.
"Who knows, it might fit to our calendar," he said. "Our maybe the organizers can do something to amend their schedule. We may never know. We'll just wait and see."
Suzara said the Hong Kong match is a gift from the PSL to Filipino workers in Hong Kong.
"Organizers are now putting finishing touches to the project. They are now in the process of looking for a venue that is big enough to accommodate the Filipino workers who are expected to watch the match," said Suzara.
"These opportunities are good for the players, the objectives of the national team and Philippine women's volleyball in general. We will continue the program and work hard to catch up with the international standards."
Source: Mei-Lin Lozada of Spin.ph

2016 Asian Cup World Ranking Tournament - Stage 1

2016 Asian Cup World Ranking Tournament - Stage 1
Bangkok, Thailand
March 20-April 3

Luis Gabriel Moreno Men's Recurve Round 1/48 BYE Advance to next round
Round 1/24 Yamamoto Masaya JPN WON: 6-4
Round 1/16 Nor Hasrin Muhd Akmal MAS LOST: 4-6
Florante Matan Men's Recurve Round 1/48 BYE Advance to next round
Round 1/24 Jadhav Pravin IND WON: 6-4
Round 1/16 Jantsan Gantugs MGL LOST: 2-6
Kareel Meer Hongitan Women's Recurve Round 1/48 BYE Advance to next round
Round 1/24 Kaur Simranjeet IND WON: 6-0
Round 1/16 Wardani Titik Kusuma INA LOST: 4-6
Rachelle Anne Dela Cruz Women's Recurve Round 1/48 BYE Advance to next round
Round 1/24 Askarova Karakoz KAZ WON: 6-2
Round 1/16 Zhou Dan Yan CHN LOST: 0-6
Joseph Vicencio Men's Compound Round 1/24 Lee Hoo Sam Patrick HKG WON: 137-135
Round 1/16 C. Manash Jyoti IND LOST: 140-140 (9-10)
Jose Ferdinand Adriano Men's Compound Round 1/24 BYE Advance to next round
Round 1/16 Jiang Wei CHN LOST: 139-142
Delfin Anthony Adriano Men's Compound Round 1/24 Dhayal Digvijay IND WON: 143-142
Round 1/16 Khritich Sergey KAZ LOST: 142-142 (9-10)
Paul Marton Dela Cruz Men's Compound Round 1/24 Mirsultanov Rozmat KAZ WON: 145-135
Round 1/16 Weng I-Cheng TPE WON: 143-143 (10-9)
Round 1/8 Taheri Omid IRI LOST: 140-144
Abbigail Tindugan Women's Compound Round 1/16 Shafielavijeh Afsaneh IRI LOST: 131-134
Joann Tabanag Women's Compound Round 1/16 Ranjbar Maryam IRI LOST: 128-140
Jennifer Dy Chan Women's Compound Round 1/16 Anutaraporn Suvaporn THA LOST: 135-139
Amaya Amparo Cojuangco Women's Compound Round 1/16 Lau Tsz Sum HKG WON: 144-122
Round 1/8 Ishak Nor Rizah MAS WON: 143-142
Quarterfinal Dhayal Khushbu IND WON: 147-145
Semifinal Maneesombatkul K. THA WON: 147-139
Final Shende Purvasha Sudhir IND LOST: 139-142 SILVER
Dela Cruz R., Matan Recurve Mixed Team Round 1/8 Mongolia MON LOST: 1-5
Adriano Jose, Dela Cruz P., Vicencio, J. Compound Men Team Round 1/8 BYE Advance to next round
Round 1/4 India IND LOST: 225-226
Cojuangco, Chan, Tabanag Coumpound Women Team Quarterfinal Hongkong HKG WON: 223-211
Semi final Thailand THA WON: 221-219
Final Malaysia MAS LOST: 217-224 SILVER
Cojuangco, Adriano J.F. Compound Mixed Team Round 1/8 BYE Advance to next round
Quarterfinal India IND WON: 146-141
Semi final Kazakhstan KAZ LOST: 148-149
Bronze Match Hongkong HKG WON: 152-136 BRONZE

Monday, March 28, 2016

AIBA India’s icon Mary Kom victorious in Day 3 of the Asian-Oceanian Olympic Qualification event with China and Philippines amongst most prominent nations

It was a dense program for the third competition day in Qian’an. 47 bouts were scheduled in the Women’s Flyweight class (51 kg), Women’s Lightweight class (60 kg), Men’s Bantamweight class (56 kg), Men’s Lightweight class (60 kg), Men’s Welterweight class (69 kg), Men’s Middleweight class (75 kg), Men’s Heavyweight class (91 kg) and Men’s Super Heavyweight class (+91 kg).
The Chinese boxers brilliantly performed in front of their home crowd as all of their women and men athletes won their bouts while Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Philippines and New Zealand also had big victories on Day 3.
Mongolia’s three-time National Champion talented 19-year-old Tsendbaatar Erdenebat matched against a boxer from Territory of Guam, Adrienne Francisco whose country has recently affiliated to AIBA but as expected the Mongolian Bantamweight (56 kg) young star easily dominated his inexperienced opponent.
“I trained hard for this competition as I had to miss the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships last year. I had a game plan before my first bout and it worked well against my Oceanian opponent. I know I will have stronger opponents on the road to the Olympic quota but I am fit and ready to box against anyone in Qian’an,” said Mongolia’s Erdenebat Tsendbaatar after his opening triumph in the event.
After his winning 1st bout, Iraq’s Ammar Jabbar Hasan had to face the n°1 seed of the competition in the Lightweight class (60 kg), the Mongolia’s Incheon 2014 Asian Games winner and ASBC Asian Confederation Champion Otgondalai Dorjnyambuu, who delivered a unanimous points win.
Tajikistan’s AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist and two-time Olympian Anvar Yunusov recovering from an arm injury was not in his top form and logically lost to China Dragons’ WSB team boxer Jun Shan in the Lightweight class (60 kg) contest.
Philippines’ Incheon 2014 Asian Games silver medallist APB boxer Charly Suarez advanced to the Top 8 in the Lightweight class (60 kg) following his easy victory over Chinese Taipei’s Chu-En Lai who could not keep up the same momentum after his 1st winning bout against the Turkmenistan’s Hursand Imankuliyev.
The fans enjoyed a spectacular Oceanian battle in the Super Heavyweight class (+91 kg) between Australia’s OCBC Oceanian Confederation Champion Joseph Goodall and New Zealand’s Patrick Mailata, a revenge match from the latest Trans Tasman Tournament which occured last month. The Samoan-descent Kiwi boxer struggled in the opening round but he returned in the 2nd round more determined delivering a series of punches that ended the bout by TKO early through the final round.
China’s Incheon 2014 Asian Games winner Yin Junhua has high hope in the Women’s Lightweight class (60 kg) and she successfully delivered against PRK Korea’s ASBC Asian Confederation Women’s Boxing Championships silver medallist Tong Sun Ri in front of the delighted crowd of Qian’an.
Tajikistan’s London 2012 Olympic Games bronze medallist 23-year-old Mavzuna Chorieva proved she was almost at her best against Afghanistan’s Diana Nadim who trains in Denmark but it was not sufficient enough to prevent her rival from winning the contest with a comfortable margin in the Women’s Lightweight class (60 kg).
Thailand’s defending ASBC Asian Women’s Champion Tassamalee Thongjan had to be at her very best to eliminate Uzbekistan’s Youth National Champion 18-year-old Maftunakhon Melieva who replaced unsuccessfully Makhfuzakhon Ergasheva just before the start of the competition.
Kazakhstan’s Almaty 2013 AIBA World Champion Zhanibek Alimkhanuly is the n°1 seed of the Middleweight class (75 kg) and he sparklingly held the distance against Japan’s Makoto Takahashi who clearly admitted the superiority of the Central Asian boxer.
China’s Zhao Minggang met India’s AIBA World Boxing Championships bronze medallist Krishan Vikas to deliver an amazing bout and earned a unanimous points win.
In the Heavyweight class (91 kg), New Zealand’s best boxer Commonwealth Games winner 20-year-old David Nyika outperformed his opponent, Jordan’s ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing Championships silver medallist veteran Ihab Al-Matbouli, and keeps his hope alive for an Olympic ticket.
A world class contest was held in the preliminary round of the Women’s Flyweight class (51 kg) when India’s five-times AIBA Women’s World Champion Chungneijang Mary Kom Hmangte was opposed to Kazakhstan’s first ever AIBA Women’s World Champion Nazym Kyzaibay.
The Indian National icon was in top form in the first three rounds and in spite of the Kazakh’s efforts in the final two minutes Mary Kom advanced with confidence to the quarter finals.
Source: AIBA.org

Pilipinas Dragons make waves in Barcelona

The Pilpinas Dragons, a football team of boys mostly born in 2000, set records in Barcelona this week when it became the first Philippine competitor in the history of the prestigious Mediterranean International Cup (MIC) 2016, which saw action from some 500 teams in 42 countries.

All told, the Filipino boys coached by Ayi Bimbo from Ghana, sent shock waves with their maiden win in a friendly against the Japan Football Academy, 3-1, and an opening day 1-1 draw with Bellmare Fuijsawa. Bellmare is one of the oldest teams in the Japan premiere league.

The Dragons, who were last summer’s U15 champions in the UFL, gained more international exposure in a 1-3 loss against AEC Manlleu of Spain at Fornelis de la Sieva. It was followed by a 0-6 yield to Sel Espana-Brasil, a Spain-based Brazilian team, also on March 23, at the Sant Feliu de Guziols. Both opponents notably play almost everyday as they work towards professional football careers.

Despite the opponents’ obvious height advantage and the unfriendly cold at average of 8 degrees Celsius, the Dragons came back the next day with “puso” (heart) and breathed fire on Spain’s UE Balafia 2-1 at the Llagostera stadium, winning in this round toward the Consolation Prize.

Source: Ruby Villavicencio Paurom of Inquirer Sports

Long Olympic travel time worries Garcia

PHILIPPINE Sports Commission (PSC) Chair Richie Garcia wants Filipino athletes competing in the Olympics to be in Rio de Janeiro at least a week before the actual competition.

The flight to Rio takes a minimum of 27 hours with a layover in Dubai as the shortest route and Garcia said the coaches and athletes should consider this in the final stages of their preparation for the Games set Aug. 5 to 21.

“Going to Rio is like getting beaten up because of the very long trip. That’s how tiring it is,” said Garcia, who had gone through the exhausting trip recently from Manila to Rio.

The longest travel time could take as long as 42 hours, depending on the stopover and waiting duration.

“They should be there even before the (Olympic) village opens for them to get used to the time difference,” he added.

Garcia also recommended that they communicate with the organizers on the practice venues since the stadium and competition areas might not be ready yet upon their arrival.

“A week ahead or a week and a half should be fine,” said the PSC chair.

He said the trip won’t pose a problem for Filipino-American hurdler Eric Cray since the Southeast Asian Games double-gold medalist would come from Texas in the United States.

So far, only Cray and weightlifter Hidilyn Diaz have made it to the national team to the Olympics since Filipino boxers and taekwondo jins, among others, are still trying to qualify.

Garcia added there are no news yet on the progress of Caluag, the Asian BMX champion who saw action in the 2012 London Olympics.

Source: June Navarro of Inquirer Sports

Huey has eyes on Rio Olympics

TREAT Huey is confident he can still make it to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics with either Ruben Gonzales or Francis Casey Alcantara as a doubles partner.

The 30-year-old Huey said it’s going to be a “happy problem to have” choosing between Gonzales and Alcantara. He has won all six Davis Cup matches he played partnering with Alcantara.

But Huey acknowledged that he has to qualify first.

“That’s something I want to do, it’s a goal of mine,” Huey told the Inquirer. “I got reason to believe I can do it, I got to win big tournaments and make top 10 so I can make the Olympics.”

Right now Huey is 30th in the world. He recently won an ATP Challenger tourney in Mexico, in tandem with veteran Max Mirnyi of Belarus.

Under Rio Olympics rules, a player in the top 10 of the ATP/WTA by June 11 automatically makes the Games and could have a partner who has to have a singles or doubles ranking.

“I played doubles with Ruben and Francis, so yeah, either of them would be a smart choice,” added Huey.

The highest ranking Huey got was 25th in 2014, but he’s hoping he can still make the Olympic cut because only six players per country are allowed in the doubles draws.

Source: Marc Anthony Reyes of Inquirer Sports

Playing pressure-free, Super Liga selection scores easy win over Hong Kong in friendly

photo (c) Jerome Ascano
THE Petron-Philippine Superliga All-Star eased the pain of defeat after being knocked out of contention in the Thai-Denmark Super League in Bangkok, downing the Hong Kong national team, 25-22, 25-15, 25-20, in a friendly match on Sunday.
Finally pressure-free, the Filipinas managed to play with less errors and made better receptions.
"We came into the game without any pressure," said coach George Pascua.
"We reduced our errors and our services were very impressive. Obviously, we were the better team against the Hong Kong team in that tuneup match."
The PSL selection went winless in three matches in the Thai-Denmark Super League, losing its opening match in four sets to Bangkok Glass, which was bannered by American import Jordanne Scott and Thai stars Pleumjit Thinakaow and Pornpun Guedpard.
The Filipinas suffered a straight-sets defeat to Idea Khonkaen followed by another four-set loss to 3BB Nakhonnont.
The PSL is planning to send the selection to Hong Kong on June 12 for more friendly matches as an Independence Day gift to thousands of Filipino workers there.
Hong Kong team manager Li Yuk Hing said they have a similar playing style with the Filipinos.
However, his players still lack the endurance of their foes since they were assembled only two months ago, with majority being called up from the youth team.
"The PSL stars also jelled better compared to our team," said Li through an interpreter.
The PSL stars will have a day off on Monday before returning to Manila on Tuesday. The final phase of the PSL Invitational, featuring three local teams and Thai heavyweight Est Cola, begins on April 7. 
Source: Spin.ph

Saturday, March 26, 2016

Super Liga selection bows to 3BB Nakornnont in four to end Bangkok campaign winless

photo (c) Jennifer Pascua's facebook account
THE Petron Philippine Super Liga All-Star team put up a brave fight but 3BB Nakornnont was simply too strong, 15-25, 11-25, 25-23, 15-25, on Saturday in the Thai-Denmark Super League at MCC Hall of Bangkapi in Bangkok.
3BB Nakornnont slipped in the third set but showed no mercy in the fourth, taking a 13-5 lead en route to victory.
The Filipinas managed to score on some trick plays to steal the third set, but did not have enough against the tough Thais and wound up winless in three outings.
Bangkok Glass beat the Filipinas, 25-23, 11-25, 16-25, 9-25, before Idea Khonkaen took a 25-22, 25-20, 25-19 victory.
Cha Cruz, Maika Ortiz and Aby Maraño each had nine markers for the PSL All-Star against 3BB.
"'Yung receive pa rin ang naging problema natin. Saka 'yung kalaban natin, naging consistent sa service nila, kumbaga, mas madali silang nakaka-recover kapag nagkamali sila," said coach George Pascua.
Pimpichaya Kokram scored 22 points, Kutika Kaewpin added 14 and Sasipaporn Junthawisut chipped in 11 for 3BB Nakhonnont.
The Thais had 57 attacks against the PSL Spikers’ 37, and the Filipinas gave the Thais extra points, 30-19.
Source: Mei-Lin Lozada of Spin.ph

Friday, March 25, 2016

Azkals put up brave stand in close loss to Uzbeks in World Cup qualifiers

THE Philippine men's football team put up a gallant stand in surrendering a close 1-0 decision to Uzbekistan in their World Cup/Asian Cup qualifiers match on Thursday night in Tashkent.
Already depleted with the absence of a handful of key booters, the Azkals saw themselves go a man down early in the first half, but held the host Uzbeks scoreless for one half before giving up a goal at the hour mark.
The Filipino booters thus remained in third spot, behind their conquerors and North Korea, in danger of having to go through a playoff for a spot in the Asian Cup.
Still, it was a result the Azkals can be proud of as they proved to be a fortress almost the entire match despite seeing OJ Porteria get questionably sent off 10 minutes into the match after a hard tackle.
The Azkals finally gave up a header in the 60th minute as Javier Patiño and Patrick Reichelt conjured the Filipinos' best chances that just went wide.
Goal keeper Neil Etheridge shone brightest with plenty of saves between sticks.
Team manager Dan Palami later praised the Azkals for giving the host country a tough fight despite a depleted roster.
“Gallant effort by the AZKALS tonight! 85 min. with 10 mean against the top team in our group, away game. I think we represented the PHL well,” said Palami in his twitter account@dscpalami.
The Azkals cap off their second-round qualifiers campaign on Tuesday against North Korea at Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Source: Karlo Sacamos of Spin.ph

Sunday, March 20, 2016

ABAP Names five male and one female boxer to olympic qualifying tournament in Qian'an, China

The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) has named five male and one female boxer to the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Qian’-An, China which opens on March 23. 

Executive director Ed Picson announced the line-up which will be composed of Rogen Ladon (light flyweight, 49 kg.), Roldan Boncales (flyweight, 52 kg.), Mario Fernandez (bantamweight, 56 kg.), Charly Suarez (60 kg.), Eumir Felix Marcial (welterweight, 69 kg.) and Nesthy Petecio (women's flyweight, 51 kg.). 

The six were part of a group of 14 boxers who went on a whirlwind 18-day training camp in 4 cities in the West Coast of the United States: Oakland, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas and drew praise from American coaches for their impressive showing. 

The roster was based on recommendations from the four coaches who traveled with the group: Deputy Head Coach Nolito Velasco, Women's Head Coach Roel Velasco, 3-star AIBA coach and 3-time Olympian Romeo Brin and the only female coach in ABAP, Mitchel Martinez. 

ABAP Head Coach Pat Gaspi was unable to make the trip as he was in Manchester, England attending the AIBA Coaches' Commission meeting where he is a member. Gaspi is the chairman of the Asian Coaches Commission. 

By all accounts the ABAP Olympic boxing hopefuls benefited from what delegation head Ed Picson said was “definitely a rewarding trip.” 

The roster of 15 boxers which included three females trained at the gym of “Dodong” Donaire, father/trainer of five division world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire in Oakland, California, the University of San Francisco Gym and the Top Rank and Fight Club Gyms in Las Vegas over a three week period. 

Picson told The Standard that “the boxers are peaking at the right time” as they prepare for the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Qan’ An, China from March 23 to April 3. 

Although some boxers were hit by episodes of coughs and colds because it was really cold especially in Las Vegas, it didn’t stop them from training. 

Nonito Donaire helped his trainer/father in giving the boxers some drills and kept urging the boxers on while training. 

Picson said it was “really very productive” as Nonito gave the fighters a motivational/inspirational talk which was set to last 10 minutes but went on for over 30 minutes “because Nonito spoke from the heart.” 

Donaire told the boxers “there is nothing you cannot do if you put your heart into it. You have to believe in yourself because if you don’t, who else will.” 

The consensus after the workouts and sparring sessions in the gyms was that welterweight Eumir Felix Marcial was the most impressive. Heb showed a lot of determination and all around boxing skills and punching power. 

Picson told us from Oakland to Los Angeles and even Las Vegas, Marcial “really stood out. Everyone was all praises including Top Rank’s veteran Lee Samuels who saw Marcial on the heavy bag and kept asking “who’s that guy. Is that your star?” But Picson made it clear there were no stars on the team on determined, talented and hard-working boxers although the overwhelming consensus was that Marcial “is the Philippines best prospect.” 

While sparring against three tough opponents at “Dodong” Donaire’s boxing and fitness gym in Oakland, Marcial dropped his first two sparring partners in the first round and even though he wasn’t able to drop the third, extremely strong and resilient opponent, he punished him badly. 

Picson allayed fears of the Asia-Oceania qualifying tournament being too close to the boxers return from the US last March 15 pointing out that they will leave for China on the 23 rd and the first fights will probably take place on the 25th or the 26th, depending on the draw. 

ABAP president Ricky Vargas said the training camp was “just the initial phase in the preparations for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He said “We want to give our boxers the best opportunities to qualify and if they do we have even bigger plans for their Olympic medal quest. 

After the Philippine Sports Commission and the POC turned down a request for P3 million to fund the trip , the MVP Sports Foundation bankrolled the training stint. 

The ABAP Sports Science team composed of Nutritionist Arabella Ripoll, Strength and Conditioning coach Mark Limbaga, Sports Psychologist Marcus Manalo and Performance Analyst Jeff Pagaduan were also part of the evaluation process as were the rest of the national coaching staff who figured in the boxers' training in Baguio City prior to the US trip. 

ABAP President Ricky Vargas, who is on a business trip abroad, expressed optimism and excitement over the line-up. 

Vargas, in a text message from San Francisco said "This is a potent group of dynamic boxers who trained long and hard, are properly motivated and highly inspired. We expect positive results from them in China next week. Godspeed and cheers to the team!" 

The Olympic qualifying tournament includes all Asian countries and Oceania which is composed of, among others- Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Samoa and other Pacific islands. 

242 male boxers and 55 female pugilists are registered for the qualifiers. 

Picson hastened to add that those who were not named to the China tourney are not out of the running yet. He said "There are 3 more qualifiers the other boxers may be entered in: the Women's World Championships (Kazakhstan) and APB/WSB qualifiers (Bulgaria) in May and the Final AOB qualifiers (Azerbaijan) in June. We will send participants there". 

Should more than one Filipino boxer qualify in a particular weight category, ABAP will have to choose only one entry to the Summer Olympiad in Rio de Janeiro in August as mandated by the International Boxing Association (AIBA). 

It is considered significant that the Australian, Papua New Guinea and Malaysian teams spent the last two weeks of their own preparations for the tournament at the ABAP Training Center in Baguio City. 

However, the Philippine aspirants had already left for the US when the foreign contingents arrived in the Summer Capital. 

The age average of the Filipino boxers is 23 with veteran Suarez the oldest at 28 and hard-hitting welterweight Marcial the youngest at 19. 

Source: Ronnie Nathanielsz of philboxing.com

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Philippines Get the Nod from AFF Council

DA NANG (12 March 2016) – The Philippines will co-hosts the AFF Suzuki Cup 2016 at the end of this year after receiving the nod from the AFF Council which met today in the coastal city of Da Nang here in Vietnam.
The other host of the AFF Suzuki Cup 2016 is Myanmar.
This follows the ability of the Philippines Football Federation (PFF) in handing over all deliverables before the deadline yesterday evening.
And today, the AFF Council was presented with the contract between the PFF and the Philippines Sports Stadium as well as the letter of guarantee from the Philippines Sports Commission.
“We are very glad to receive the support from the AFF Council and now we can move on and work towards hosting a successful AFF Suzuki Cup,” said Atty Edwin B Gastanes, the general secretary of the PFF.
“Both hosts will have a lot of work to do as this is the first time that both countries will be hosting the AF Suzuki Cup and we have to make sure that we do everything possible.”
The 25,000 seater Philippines Sports Stadium will be the main venue of the AFF Suzuki Cup while the Rizal Memorial Stadium with a capacity of 12,500 will be the secondary stadium of the blue-riband AFF event.
The group stage of the AFF Suzuki Cup will be held on 19-26 November 2016.
Source: aseanfootball.org

Friday, March 11, 2016

4 Rio Olympic hopefuls picked

TWO Southeast Asian Games gold winners and two other international medalists have been named by the Philippine Taekwondo Association to compete in the Asian qualifying event for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games scheduled on April 16-17 at the Marriott Convention Center Grand Ballroom, New Port Complex in Pasay City.
These are Samuel Thomas Morrison and Pauline Louise Lopez, both 2015 SEAG champions, Francis Aaron Agojo, 2015 SEAG silver winner and Levita Ronna Ilao, bronze medalist in the 2015 SEAG and the Asian Games.
Kyorugi (free sparring) fighters from 40 other countries eye Olympic participation thru the Asian qualifying event hosted by the Philippines and sanctioned by the World Taekwondo Federation.
“It is an honor for our country to stage this important qualifying competition,” says Sung Chon Hong, PTA chief executive officer.  “It will also boost the spirit of our jins, since they will be performing before their countrymen.”
The PTA has also been chosen to stage the 2016 Asian Taekwondo Championships (senior kyorugi) and the 4th Asian Poomsae championships right after the qualifying competition.
Members of the Philippine teams in the Asian qualifying, Asian championships and Asian Poomsae are expected to do well in the coming events because of their long training and preparation.
Among the Filipino poomsae participants are 2015 SEAG gold medalists Dustin Mella, Raphael Enrico Mella and Rodolfo Reyes Jr.
Source: Manila Standard Today