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Friday, March 29, 2024

Philippine bowlers to compete against best of Asia, Oceania

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FILIPINO bowlers will will be on the spotlight when they compete against foreign aces as the Philippine Bowling Federation officially launched the 2nd Philippine International Open Championships, Saturday at the Coronado Lanes in Starmall, Mandaluyong City.

The 16-man Philippine Bowling Team, composed of veteran coaches and world-class youth bowlers, together with other foreign bowlers from other neighboring-countries in Asia and Oceania, will be vying for the championships in various divisions from April 28 until May 13.

Some of the top bowlers challenging the Filipino bowlers are from Australia, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, India, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Guam, and Brunei.

Spearheaded by last year’s World Cup champion Krizziah Tabora, Kenneth Chua and Lara Posadas, members of the team will be attempting to retain their titles in the men’s and women’s open singles.

“Last year was a good one for Philippine bowling. Right now, there’s no way to go but to improve. There’s a lot of work to do, especially when it comes to teamwork, like being comprehensive as a team,” said bowling legend and four-time World Cup champion Paeng Nepomuceno, head coach of the national bowling team.

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Nepomuceno will be joined by other bowling champs Biboy Rivera, Jojo Canare and Rey Reyes as assistant coaches.

The 16-man Philippine Bowling Team, composed of veteran coaches and world-class youth bowlers, together with other foreign bowlers from other neighboring-countries in Asia and Oceania, will be vying for the championships in various divisions from April 28 until May 13.

“This tournament will bring in world-class bowlers from the various countries in the Asian zone and gather Filipino bowlers of all levels, making it a good training ground for the the Philippine national team which is preparing for the Asian Games,” said PBF secretary general Bong Coo.

The four-time world champion also added that the tournament’s mission is not just to promote and develop tenpin bowling in the Philippines, but will also serve as “a venue to scout new and emerging talents for the sport.”

Meanwhile, newly elected Philippine Olympic Committee President Victorico “Ricky” Vargas expressed his unwavering support for these young yet world-class bowlers during his keynote speech.

“There will be no losers, for I believe you are all winners,” he said. 

He also encouraged and pushed the national team to strive for the championship by telling them, “Babalik ako sa finals. Nando’n kayo sa finals ‘di ba?”

SEA (2019) Games Chef de Mission Monseur del Rosario and Councilor Boy Esteban were also present during the opening program to give their encouragement and inspirational messages for the national team. 

PBF Chairman Senator Vicente Sotto III gave the welcome remarks.

The tournament is expected to help the team prepare for their international competitions such as the Asian Games, World Youth Championships and World Bowling Championships.

National bowlers are also aiming to strike at least two gold medals in the coming 18th Asian Games on August 18 to Sept. 2 to be held in Indonesia.

For more details about the Philippine International Open Championships, check out their website at www.philippinebowling.org.

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