The Philippine delegation, led by Chef de Mission Monsour del Rosario, will leave for Ashgabat tomorrow for the 5th edition of AIMAG.
Del Rosario said a total of 104 Filipino athletes will see action in 21 sports disciplines.
Of these events, nine fall under the category combat sports. These are Ju-Jitsu, Kickboxing, Kurash, Muay Thai, Sambo, Taekwondo, Wrestling, Belt Wrestling and Traditional Wrestling.
Some of the country’s top bets in combat sports are Annie Ramirez, a two-time Asian Beach Games gold medalist in ju-jitsu.
Other possible podium finishers are taekwondo jins Samuel Morrison, a bronze medal winner during the Incheon Asian Games in 2014, and recent Southeast Asian (SEA) Games silver medalist Kristie Alora.
“I believe we have several medal contenders… of course what we are hoping for is gold medal,” said del Rosario.
However, it is not just in combat sports that the national team will be pinning its hopes, as Rio Olympics silver medal winner Hidilyn Diaz remains the top bet to win in her category in weightlifting. (Waylon Galvez)