SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
MANILA, Philippines – The future of Filipino para athletes and the direction of the para sports in the coming years will be key points of emphasis during the first Philippine Para Sports Summit to be held on Friday, June 9, at the Microtel, Technohub in Quezon City.
The one-day summit, themed “Transcending Barriers Through Sports,” will gather sports officials, athletes, coaches and trainers, sports doctors, marketing experts, and policy makers – all key players in the industry – to look into the state of Paralympic Sports in the Philippines.
About a hundred participants are expected to attend from various sports organizations including national sports associations, non-government organizations, private corporations, and the government sector.
According to a press release, the summit’s mission is “to identify local and international goals to enable Filipino para athletes to achieve sporting excellence to excite and inspire the world.”
The convention is organized by the Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC) and the Philippine Sports Association for the Differently Abled (PHILSPADA).
A program called “Alay Para Atleta” will also be launched during the summit. It is meant to be a nationwide campaign that will enable the general public to participate in the Paralympic Movement via a Php 50 annual contribution through mobile phone access.
The summit will also seek ways to “develop para sports as a tool for changing the lives of Filipinos with disabilities while contributing to the development of an inclusive society.”
Upcoming international para competitions will benefit from the discussions during the summit, including the 9th ASEAN Para Games in Malaysia this September, the Asian Para Games in Indonesia in 2018, the 10th ASEAN Para Games in Manila, and the Tokyo Paralympic Games in 2020.
The convention will endeavor to form key partnerships with government and the private sector to support para athletes.
Key speakers in the summit are: Chairman William I. Ramirez of the Philippine Sports Commission; Mr. Peping Cojuangco, President of the Philippine Olympic Committee; Michael Barredo, President of PPC-PHILSPADA; noted sports medicine expert Dr. Raul Canlas; Dr. Raul Cembrano, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation expert; Gerardo “Ral” Rosario, Sec. General and former Olympic swimmer; para-coaches Joel Deriada of Athletics and Vernon Perea of Wheelchair Basketball; as well as para-athletes Ernie Gawilan, Josephine Medina, and Adeline Dumapong-Ancheta.
In last year’s Rio Olympics, table tennis player Medina, a polio victim, won a bronze medal for the Philippines, ending a 16-year Paralympic medal drought for Filipinos.
It was the second Paralympic medal for the Philippines after Dumapong-Ancheta won a bronze in powerlifting in the 2000 Sydney Games. – Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.