By KRISTEL SATUMBAGA
Hundreds of participants, including Olympians and Filipino Southeast Asian Games gold medalists in Cambodia, join the Philippine leg of the Hangzhou Asian Games Fun Run held Monday, June 5, in Tagaytay City.
Among those who joined the symbolic event were Tokyo Olympics boxing bronze medalist Eumir Marcial, two-time Olympian swimmer Jasmine Alkhaldi, SEAG winners Jason Balabal of wrestling, Precious Cabuya and Mark Julius Rodelas of obstacle course race, taekwondo jin Sam Morrison, wushu artist Agatha Wong, and Athletes Commission representatives Nikko Huelgas and Cheska Altamonte.
“With Philippines as one of the founding members of the Asian Games, we’re happy to be here to host this event,” said Projects and Operations Manager Wissam Trkmani, who joined the run.
“The Fun Run is not only about sports. It’s about engagement and a way for the audiences and fans to get involved in the Games,” he added.
Participants were mostly students from Tagaytay City as they delightedly navigated the route overlooking the famous Taal Lake.
“This is the project of the Olympic Council of Asia and the Hangzhou Asian Games Olympic Committee for public awareness of the Asian Games,” said Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Bambol Tolentino.
The Fun Run has previously held legs in Singapore, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Palestine, Tajikistan, Brunei and Myanmar, to name a few.
The 19th Asian Games will be held on Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 in Hangzhou, China with 40 sports consisting of 61 disciplines will be contested.
The country is expected to send 426 athletes in the quadrennial meet.
