BY WAYLON GALVEZ
WITH 20 gold medals at stake, the national team of arnis hopes to capture more than half of it and contribute to the country’s bid to win the overall championship in the 30th Southeast Asian Games here.
Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, president of the Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation, said Friday that the athletes have done well during training, and now it’s time for them to show what they are capable of against the best in the region.
“We’re very optimistic with the chances of our athletes. Of course, there is pressure also for us to deliver because arnis is our national sport,” said Zubiri, himself a practitioner of the combat sport.
Arnis competition is set Dec. 1 to 3 at the Angeles University Foundation.
Arnis is actually returning to SEA Games action after it was first introduced as a demonstration sport when the country last staged the biennial meet 14 years ago, or during the 2005 edition of the regional event.
That time, the national team accounted for three gold medals and three silvers to match the medal output of Vietnam.
Zubiri again expects Vietnam to be the main threat for the Philippines, while Cambodia, Myanmar and Brunei are likewise expected to vie for the gold in various weight division in the men’s and women’s categories.
