THE last time they squared off two years ago in Kuala Lumpur, the Philippines and Vietnam each brought home three arnis gold medals.
As hostilities in the 2019 edition of the SEAG formally kick off Sunday, the Filipinos and Vietnamese are expected to battle for the lion’s share of the 20 up for grabs at the Angeles University Foundation in Angeles City, Pampanga.
In the first day of competitions, eight gold medals will be contested in men’s full contact live stick (55 kg and less), men’s (+55 kg less 60 kg), men’s (+60 kg less 65 kg), men’s (+65 kg), women’s (50 kg and less), women’s (+50 less 55 kg), women’s +55 kg and less 60 kg) and women’s +60 kg).
Arnis will have two more medal matches on Monday and Tuesday with eight and four finals matches on tap.
To get ready for the Philippines, Vietnam’s top bets spent some time in Cebu province to learn from the masters of the sport.
Cambodia and Myanmar are the two other countries vying for honors in the sport that the Philippines is aiming to rule.
Arnis’ chief backer in the Philippines, Sen. Migz Zubiri, is predicting a haul of 11-12 gold medals but is not looking past the Vietnamese.
The Philippines is the undisputed force in the sport since arnis is a pure Filipino invention and its national martial art.
Arnis and its various techniques have been famously showcased on film by martial arts stars Bruce Lee and Steven Seagal and even by James Bond actor Daniel Craig in the Quantum of Solace.
Filipino-American Dan Inosanto is arnis’ brand ambassador in the US after he used the sticks in his face-off with Lee in the Game of Death.