By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
For the first time in history, Filipino football fans got a glimpse of the sparkling FIFA Women’s World Cup trophy when the country hosted one of the legs of the Trophy Tour on Wednesday, March 1, in Makati.
Embassies from Australia and New Zealand, two countries that are co-hosting the prestigious women’s tournament, hosted a media briefing at the Fairmont Hotel to display the coveted trophy before it was made available to the public at the Glorietta Activity Center.
“This trophy tour is such a momentous event for the Philippines because it is the first time that the Cup is doing a tour here,” said HK Yu, Australian Ambassador to the Philippines.
“This event allows us to reflect how sports can promote gender equality, that sports can really drive social change by empowering girls and women globally.”
Peter Kell, New Zealand Ambassador to the Philippines, echoed the same sentiment and delivered his speech in Filipino, saying: “It ay isang parang na dapat ipagmalaki. Ipinararating nito ang isa sa mga mahahalagang mensahe sa mga kababaihan sa Pilipinas na walang imposible.”
Philippine Football Federation Secretary General Ed Gastanes and FIFA Trophy Tour Manager Sarah Gandoin are also excited with the event as it hopes to pump up the Philippine team’s historic participation in the FIFA Women’s World Cup slated July 20 to Aug. 20.
“It is a happy occasion for Filipino football fans,” Gastanes said.
The tour is expected to take the iconic trophy to all of the 32 participating nations, more countries than ever before. It kicked off in Japan last week then moved to South Korea, then to the Philippines, before winding up its Asian tour in Vietnam and China.
