Magpadala ang Kyrgyzstan ng malaking delegasyon na binubuo ng 57 atleta para sa 11th Asia-Oceania Sambo Championships na magbubukas sa Hunyo 23 sa Ninoy Aquino Stadium sa Malate, Maynila.
Aabot ng 18 hanggang 20 oras ang biyahe mula Kyrgyzstan, depende sa mga layover, dahil walang direktang biyahe papuntang Pilipinas.
“Kyrgyzstan is now sending 57 athletes so it is the biggest team competing in the tournament, with Mongolia now coming in second with over 40 entries,” pahayag ni Pilipinas Sambo Federation Inc. (PSFI) president Paolo Tancontian sa isinagawang interagency meeting ng torneo kamakailan sa Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) Media Center.
Ang kumpetisyon ay inorganisa ng PSC at National Sports Tourism Inter-Agency Committee.
Ayon kay Tancontian, ang malaking bilang ng mga kalahok mula sa Kyrgyzstan para sa limang araw na torneo ay nagpapakita ng kahalagahan ng pandaigdigang sambo competition para sa Asya at Oceania.
“We are expecting about 600 athletes from 29 countries from all over Asia and Oceania to come over and compete in the tournament we are hosting that arguably is second only to our world championships,” dagdag niya.
Ikinatuwa naman ni PSC Chair Patrick Gregorio, na isa sa mga pangunahing tagapagtaguyod ng sports tourism, ang positibong balita tatlong linggo bago ang torneo.
“We salute the Pilipinas Sambo Federation and the local organizing committee in going the extra mile to make the forthcoming 11th Asia-Oceania Sambo Championships not only successful but also another boost to our local tourism,” ani Gregorio.
Ayon kay PSC commissioner Fritz Gaston, na nangangasiwa sa sambo at dumalo sa interagency meeting, na maayos ang takbo ng torneo.
Ang pagdaraos ng kompetisyon ay pinahintulutan ng International Sambo Federation at ng Sambo Union of Asia and Oceania.
“Having the tournament at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium inside the (Rizal Memorial Sports) complex means that it falls in our area of jurisdiction. Considering that all of the delegates will be quartered at the Century Park Hotel means that will have less logistical challenges like transport and security,” paliwanag ni Gaston.
Naalala rin niya ang matagumpay na pagho-host ng Philippine Open Tennis Championship na ginanap noong Enero sa Rizal Memorial Tennis Center.
“The PSC has learned a lot of lessons from that experience and will apply them for the 11th Asia-Oceania Sambo Championships,” ani Gaston.