Wushu aces training for SEAG, Asian and world tiffs

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine wushu team is scheduled to compete in a pair of international tournaments which will form part of its preparations for the coming 26th Southeast Asian Games this November in Indonesia.

First in the agenda lined up by the Wushu Federation of the Philippines, is the Asian Championships scheduled August in Shanghai to be followed by the 2011 World Championships in October in Uzbekistan.

 Also lined up is a three to four-month build up program in Taijuan, China under the agreement forged by the Philippine Sports Commission and its Chinese counterpart.

Guangzhou Asian Games bronze medalist Mark Eddiva and 2009 SEA Games bronze medal winner Daniel Paranak disclosed Friday during the SCOOP Sa Kamayan weekly session that, unlike last year, the Phl team will have ample training in preparation for the twin tournaments the country is committed to participate in.

Eddiva, a taulo event practitioner, and Paranak, a sansu ace, also bared during the session, sponsored by Coca Cola Bottler Philippines, FILA and TV-5, that the federation has engaged Chinese coach Tong Qing Hai to oversee the team preparations leading to the Asian Championships and the SEA Games.

 “Compared to last year, we are really progressing on our training with the help of our Chinese coach. Last year we didn’t have a coach before the Asian Games, that’s why we finished only third,” Eddiva said.

However, they said the final composition of the team has yet to be decided by the federation although they added that, barring sickness or injury, they are cinch to make it.

 Besides the SEA Games, where the Filipino wushu artists will be aiming to romp off with 11 gold medals to win the overall championship in the sport, a feat their predecessors attained in 2005 in Manila, they will also be preserving the country’s reputation in both the Asian and World Championships.

It will be remembered that the now-retired Rene Catalan had been lording it over his Asian counterparts in his event in both competitions, while Willie Wang came out the lone Filipino medalist in the 2008 Beijing Asian Games where he scooped up a gold medal in the exhibition wushu event.