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| Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President and Tagaytay City Mayor Hon. Abraham "Bambol" Tolentino (left) and Hangzhou Asian Gamez Organizing Committee (HAGOC) PR Director Chen Quifang flagging off the runners participating in the Hangzhou Asian Games Fun Run (Image Source: Manila Standard/Philippine Olympic Committee) |
Tagaytay City’s invitingly cool weather provided the perfect condition for the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC)’s successful hosting of the Hangzhou Asian Games Fun Run with more than 500 runners participating in the ceremonial campaign aimed to promote the games in September. The field included some of the country’s medalists in last month’s Cambodia Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, representatives from the Hangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee (HAGOC) and Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) and students from the host city who gamely answered the gun at exactly 6:00 am of June 5, 2023.
“We are proud that the POC, Tagaytay City and the country have become part of this symbolic fun run that not only helps promote the Asian Games but also reiterates the Philippines’ very important and historic role why these very games were organized more than a century ago,” said POC president and Tagaytay City mayor Hon. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino. The Philippines is acknowledged as the birth place of the Asian Games when the first Far Eastern Olympic Games were staged in January and February 1913 in the very same Malate area where the historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex stands. “Everything’s perfect, Tagaytay City is perfect for this fun run,” Tolentino said moments before he was joined by HAGOC HR Director Chen Qiufang flagged off the runners in waves for the 6K, 3K and 1K categories. Coupled with the fun run was Tagaytay City’s hosting of the Hangzhou Asian Games Children’s Art Competition where select masterpieces depicting the games were picked by POC, HAGOC and OCA officials from dozens of entries sent by Tagaytay City school children.
OCA Projects and Operations Manager Wissam Trkmani of Lebanon and Media and Broadcast Director Jeans Jhou Jiann of China also graced the ceremony, along with Philippine-based Chinese representing the HAGOC. Among those who joined the fun run were Cambodia SEA Games medalists Jason Balabal (wrestling), Sam Morrison (taekwondo), Jasmine Alkhaldi (swimming), Agatha Wong (wushu), Precious Cabuya and Mark Julius Rodelas (obstacle sports), as well as Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial (boxing), Nikko Huelgas (triathlon) and Cheska Altomonte (softball) as well as POC deputy secretaries-general Bones Floro and Karen Tanchanco-Caballero who is also deputy chef de mission to Hangzou. The Hangzhou Asian Games are set to be held on September 23-October 8, 2023 with more than 400 athletes representing the Philippines slated to compete for pride and glory across the continent.
