ASEAN School Sports Council gab on today

CEBU - The 58th Technical Committee and 45th Management Committee Biennial Meetings of the ASEAN School Sports Council (ASSC) goes full blast today at the Cebu Midtown Hotel.

ASSC is an organization composed of the ministers or deputees of the ASEAN countries.

Over 30 representatives of the ASEAN region including Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Brunei Darrusalam, and Vietnam will attend the meeting.

The event opened last night with ASSC chairman and Philippine Sports Commission chairman William “Butch” Ramirez led in welcoming the delegates of the three-day affair.

Other dignitaries present were commissioners Fr. Vicente L. Uy, SVD, Eric Loretizo, deputy executive director Cesar Pradas, senior sports games regulation officer Annie Ruiz, and ASSC Project Director Joseph Encabo.

 The gathering is aimed to further promoting physical education and recreation through school-based sports.

ASSC was created in 1977 during the inaugural ASEAN School Track and Field Championships in Jakarta, Indonesia. It was formally launched, however, the following year with five countries joining forces including Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,Thailand and Philippines.

The Philippines got its first hosting job of an ASSC-related event in the 1980 Asean Track and Field Championships. It was also this time when Malaysia introduced the sport of sepak takraw to the Pinoys.

For more than a decade, the Philippines had been inactive in the ASSC until Ramirez was installed PSC chairman in 2005.

True to his words, the PSC under Ramirez’s leadership has found the vigor to participate and host different events including the 12th ASSC Gymnastics Championships in 2006, the 6th ASSC Golf Championships last year, and the 14th ASSC Badminton Championships last June.

 “As long as I am the chairman of the PSC, I shall strive to actively engage the Philippines in the promotion of school-based sports together with the help of our foremost partners and stakeholders, the Department of Education,” Ramirez said.

Ramirez is enthusiastic about the outcome of the meetings especially that the ASSC marks its 30th year in promoting and developing school-based sports. – Caecent No-ot Magsumbol (THE FREEMAN)