POC encourages NSAs to tap foreign coaches for 2016 Rio buildup

The Philippine Olympic Committee has strongly encouraged national sports associations with athletes set to compete in qualifying tournaments for the 2016 Olympics to hire foreign coaches. POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. said these NSA could make their request through the Olympic body to increase the chances of their athletes for the Rio de Janeiro Summer Games. “I told the NSAs to identify the coaches that they need and we will help them get the approval from the PSC (Philippine Sports Commission),” said Cojuangco. A total of...

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Filipino junior triathletes rule Singapore tilt

The four Cebuano junior triathletes who took the Singapore International Triathlon by storm with their trophies (from left) Justin Chiongbian (16-19 gold), Ralph Eduard So (14-15 bronze), Aaliyah Mataragnon (14-15 bronze) and Yuan Chiongbian (14-15 gold). CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/Cebu Daily News Brothers Fredric Albert Yuan and Justin Liam Chiongbian produced a pair of golden performances in the recent 2015 Singapore Triathlon held at the East Coast...

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PH sends 16 bets to Asian tenpin tilt

Sixteen young keglers will be gunning for medals in the 16th Asian School Tenpin Bowling Championships beginning on Monday at the South China Athletic Association (SCAA) Bowling Center in Hong Kong. Jakarta Asian School Tenpin bronze medalist Merwin Tan and veteran campaigner Ivan Malig will banner the country’s campaign in the boys’ class along with Gephil John Buyco, Louis Miguel Cantorna, Cole Austin Co, Duke Gregory Mella and Andrei Nikolai Malig. Seeing action in the girls’ division are Regina Joy Daval-Santos, Nina De Vera, Bea Katrina...

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Tamaraws all set for World U Football Cup

Back-to-back University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) champion Far Eastern University (FEU) will represent the Philippines in the upcoming World University Football Cup in Xiamen, China slated on August 9 to 16. The annual event will feature 11 teams from universities all around the globe. The Tamaraws will go up against teams from Russia, Malaysia, Cameroon, South Korea, Brazil, Portugal, France, South Africa, Japan, Thailand and China. “For now ang masasabi namin prepared kami. Pinaghahandaan talaga namin siya kasi it’s a...

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PDBF rowers win gold in HK tourney

The Philippine Dragon Boat Federation (PDBF) claimed one gold and three bronzes in the 2015 Hong Kong Dragon Boat Carnival International Races held at the Victoria Harbor in Hong Kong. The Filipino paddlers bested 13 other teams to rule the mixed small boat 250-meter of the event participated by more than 4,000 paddlers. “Joining the Hong Kong race is one of our main international exposures this year and it was a good experience for our team. The Hong Kong race was amazing and interesting and we hope to join again next year,” PDBF President...

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Cignal PH bet in Asian volley tilt

The Philippine Superliga will represent Team Philippines to the Asian Volleyball Confederation men’s club championship which starts Aug. 11-18 in Chinese Taipei. PSL president Ramon “Tats’ Suzara tasked one of the league’s top squad Cignal HD to form the national team to the prestigious meet held in the Philippines last year. Cignal coach Sammy Acaylar said they have been regularly practicing at La Salle Greenhills and are just waiting for the arrival of two American players who will backstop the crew. “Yes we are ready, we have started...

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POC moving bets to less polluted areas

With air pollution in Metro Manila soaring to hazardous levels, the Philippine Olympic Committee is considering moving the national athletes to alternative training centers outside of the metropolis. POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. discussed the pollution issue with Philippine Sports Commission chair Richie Garcia, who readily admitted that conditions at Philsports in Pasig City and the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila are no longer conducive for athletes. “Sad to say, we will have to endure this kind of environment,” said...

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Fajardo accepts Baldwin's challenge to become Gilas centerpiece

MANILA, Philippines -- New Gilas coach Tab Baldwin made it no secret that he will make the 6-foot-10 June Mar Fajardo the centerpiece of the FIBA Asia-bound national team.  The reiging PBA two-time MVP, who was used as back-up during his Gilas debut,  welcomed the challenge.  "Nakakatuwa naman ('yung sinabi ni coach Tab). Malaking responsibilidad at nakaka-pressure rin pero, why not?...

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Pangilinan 'a little worried' about possible 2019 schedule pile-up with World Cup, SEA Games

THE Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) expressed some concern that the 2019 Fiba World Cup is going to be held in the same year as the Southeast Asian Games, which the country is hosting. If it wins its bid to host the world basketball showpiece four years from now, the Philippines will end up hosting two major sporting events that year. SBP president Manny V. Pangilinan expressed concern that it will affect preparations for the World Cup,...

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PH bid presentation for 2019 World Cup will present a 'game-changing vision,' says MVP

MANILA, Philippines — A rumor doing the rounds is that Manny Pacquiao will be in the corner for the Samahang Basketbol ng Pilipinas (SBP) when it comes to bidding to host the 2019 World Cup. The boxing great plays basketball with his entourage during breaks in his training and has formed his own professional team which plays in the domestic league. Local reports say he will join Filipino officials to help persuade Fiba to...

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Jovelyn Gonzaga, two others miss Vietnam mission after failing to secure AFP release

JOVELYN Gonzaga, Rhea Dimaculangan, and Maika Ortiz will not join the Philippine women’s volleyball team to the upcoming VTV Invitational Cup as the three military athletes failed to get a release from the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Larong Volleyball ng Pilipinas Inc. (LVPI) secretary general Ricky Palou confirmed Gonzaga, Dimaculangan, and Ortiz failed to secure their Detailed Service (DS) order from the AFP in time to join the team...

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PH boxers’ road to 2016 Olympics begins next month

The Philippine boxing team will be fighting in seven weight categories in the Asian Championship next month, the country’s first key stop on the long road to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Amateur boxing executive director Ed Picson said Tuesday there would be a box-off among the national pugs as soon as the Armed Forces of the Philippines releases the soldier-athetes from the military. London Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga heads the list of eight...

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Singapore jails Indonesian for SEAGames match-fixing

SINGAPORE — An Indonesian man was jailed for 30 months Tuesday in Singapore for conspiring to fix a football match during the recent Southeast Asian Games in the city-state. Nasiruddin conspired with two other persons to bribe the technical director of East Timor’s football team, Orlando Marques Henriques Mendes, to lose a match against Malaysia, Singapore’s Corrupt Practices and Investigation Bureau (CPIB) said. The Indonesian had offered Sg$15,000 ($11,000) to the East Timor soccer official, the CPIB said in a statement. Nasiruddin also...

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Azkals play 3 more home matches in FIFA World Cup qualifier

MANILA, Philippines -- The Philippine national football team is scheduled to play only three more games in the country in the ongoing qualifiers for the 2018 FIFA World Cup as the rest of its matches will be held outside the Philippines. “Let’s take advantage of the hometown matches by watching the Azkals play in person. The Azkals will be playing for the country’s honor. The fans’ support will count a lot,” Team Manager Dan Palami said. The...

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Road to Rio

Only the winner of the FIBA Asia Championships in Changsha, Hunan, China on Sept. 23-Oct. 3 will gain an automatic ticket to represent Asia in the 12-team basketball competition for men at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics next year. But the second and third placers in Changsha get a chance to sneak into the Olympics through a 12-team world qualifying tournament to be held on July 5-11 at a still undetermined country. The Olympics will be held in Brazil...

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POC wants bigger PH delegation in 2016 Rio Olympics

The Philippine Olympic Committee prefers a much bigger athlete delegation in the 2016 Olympics than the Philippine representation in London three years ago. POC president Jose “Peping” Cojuangco Jr. announced the local Olympic body’s all-out support for the national sports association to produce more qualifiers next year in Rio de Janeiro during a meeting with the NSAs Monday. Two-time Olympian and flag-bearer Hidilyn Diaz of weightlifting led an 11-athlete contingent to the 2012 London Summer Games while 15 athletes made it to the Beijing...

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PH Cuppers bow to Taiwanese

Chinese Taipei edged Cebuana Lhuillier-Philippine Davis Cup, 3-1, Sunday night in their Asia/Oceania Group 2 semifinal tie following a decisive victory in the rain-delayed fourth rubber in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Taiwanese top player Lu Yen-hsun edged Ruben Gonzales, 6-2, 6-2, 6-4, in the reverse singles match which was halted by heavy rains at the outdoor courts. Organizers decided to transfer to Tainan, which was two hours away, to finish the...

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Lassiter ready if Gilas Pilipinas invitation comes

Best shooter in the PBA right now? Marcio Lassiter is definitely in the conversation. After his superb showing in the 2015 PBA Governors’ Cup, there’s no more denying that the former Smart Gilas member is one of the league’s deadliest shooters, enough for some pundits to push for his inclusion anew in the Fiba Asia-bound national team. But for Lassiter, he’s still enjoying the moment. “The first time we won the championship in the Philippine...

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Philippine Army wins gold in Japan Dragon Boat tilt

The Philippine Army Dragon Boat Team bagged gold in the men’s 250-meter race at the Japan Dragon Boat Championships in Osaka on Sunday. The 28-man team, dubbed as the world’s fasted dragon boat team, beat 70 other teams from around the world at the race held in Okinawa River in Japan for the men’s category. In a Facebook post at the Army Dragon Boat Team’s website, it was mentioned that the Philippine team was even mentored by some of the...

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Risa Sato, Myla Pablo, four others called up to Vietnam-bound PH team in Alyssa Valdez's absence

TWO players from the Philippine Under-23 team and four others have been called up to join five holdovers from the SEA Games squad as the Philippines sees action in the  VTV Invitational Cup in Vietnam starting on Saturday. Under-23 players Risa Sato and Myla Pablo will also join the team, along with Janine Marciano, Honey Royse Tubino, Suzanne Roces and multi-titled libero Lizlee Ann Gata-Pantone. From the 12-woman Philippine team to the...

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Focus shifts to formation of Gilas pool

MANILA, Philippines – With PBA Season 40 over, the pro league is now to work with national coach Tab Baldwin for the formation of the national pool and eventually the national team that will vie for an Olympic ticket in the 2015 FIBA Asia Championship set Sept. 23 to Aug. 3 in Changsha, China. Baldwin is expected to finish talks with PBA team owners in the next few days and, together with the SBP selection committee, will announce the national...

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PH swimmers Lacuna, Alkhaldi eye Olympic berths

photo (c) Raffy Lerma Jessie Khing Lacuna is still two seconds away from the standard time while Jasmine Alkhaldi has been religiously working on improving her clockings in three freestyle events as the country’s top two swimmers chase their Olympic dream a second time around in 2016 Rio De Janeiro. Although both Southeast Asian Games medalists have already reached the B-cut standard of the International Swimming Federation (Fina), national...

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