China training set for SEAG bets - Angping

TIANJIN – Philippine Sports Commission chairman Harry Angping pursues a sports exchange program with the Chinese Sports Ministry while in town and to give support to Powerade Team Pilipinas in the heat of battle in the 25th FIBA Asia Championship.

Angping mentioned diving, table tennis, badminton, volleyball and shooting as among the sports to get training under Chinese coaches in a deal with top Chinese sports officials.

The former Manila congressman said the program is made through his own initiative in an effort to help boost the country’s campaign in the 25th Southeast Asian Games set in Laos from Dec. 9-18.

He had his initial talks with the Chinese Sports Ministry people in a visit in Beijing last June.

“We’re cramming as we only have three months to prepare for the SEA Games,” said the PSC chair.

Angping, also the country’s special envoy to China, plans to send the Filipino divers and table netters for training here, while badminton, volleyball and shooting will likely have a Chinese for their coaches while training back in the Philippines.

“It’s better for our divers and table tennis players to train here, getting the opportunity to play topnotch players. At the same time, they have state-of-the-art facilities which are conducive to proper training,” said Angping. “For shooting and volleyball, it’s cheaper for the coaches to come over to the Philippines.”

Angping, the one-time president of the Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL), mentioned a posh building here that housed an Olympic-sized pool, a diving area and another giant pool solely used for synchronized swimming.

The PSC chair added divers from Vietnam have already been training in the same facility for almost two months now.

“That’s why I consider Vietnam as the darkhorse in this SEA Games because of their preparations,” he said of the Vietnamese, the 2003 overall champions. – Nelson Beltran