The Philippines ambassador to China hopes the Asian games will further strengthen ties between the two nations and promises that his country will field a team that is lean but mean.

The two nations developed contacts through trade hundreds of years ago and this year they celebrate 35 years of official diplomatic relations. Now the games can play a role in developing the relationship. "We hope that our participation in the Asian games in Guangzhou will further strengthen our ties with the Chinese people," Francisco L. Benidicto, the Philippines ambassador to China, told China Daily.

The ambassador was a teenager when the Philippines hosted the 2nd Asian Games in 1954. "I remember feeling excited, not only about the games itself, but also about the idea of all these world class foreign athletes coming to the Philippines."

That year the Philippines enjoyed their best performance. Filipinos won 44 medals, 14 of them gold. In 1958 the country also did well where they won 48 medals, including nine golds in Tokyo.

A memorable moment for the Philippines was when Lydia de Vega was twice crowned as Asia's fastest woman when she won the 100-meter dash gold medal, at the 1982 New Delhi Asian Games and at the 1986 Seoul Asian Games.

The ambassador confirmed that the nations athletes are in the thick of preparations for the 2010 Games. The Philippine Sports Commission has earmarked P200 million (US$ 4.25 million) for training athletes and participating in the games.

While the different National Sports Associations (NSAs) have been given a free hand to nominate their respective athletes for inclusion to the Philippine delegation to the Guangzhou Games in November, they are required to justify their submissions. Therefore, Team Philippines to the Guangzhou Games may end up to being lean but "mean", the ambassador noted.

In the last Asiad in Doha, the Philippines harvested 4 gold, 6 silver and 9 bronze medals, placing the country at the 18th place in the over-all ranking.

Looking towards this Asian games in Guangzhou the ambassador said: "We hope to duplicate, if not surpass, our record in Doha. Our national athletes in bowling, wushu, boxing, dragon boat, taekwondo, and billiards are expected to earn medals, but I wouldn't discount our other athletes either. As usual, the nation also has high hopes for our men's basketball team."

The Philippines and China have an agreement that facilitates exchanges and cooperation between athletes, coaches, and sports officials of the two countries. "In preparation for this Asiad, the Philippines partnered with the Tianjin Municipal Sports Commission for the training of some of our athletes," he said.

He believes that the games can help to promote mutual understanding between all the nations involved. "Sports play important roles in breaking barriers and bridging differences. They have a unique language that is understood and spoken by all," he said.

"As Asia's top sporting event, the Asian Games continue to provide opportunities for countries in Asia to learn more about and appreciate each other's culture and traditions."

Following the success of the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008 the ambassador is excited about the Asian games, "We are very confident that the Asiad in Guangzhou will be equally successful. The China State Sports General Bureau, the Guangzhou Asian Games Organizing Committee, and Guangdong Province have left no stone unturned in ensuring high-quality competition at the Games," he noted.

(China Daily 03/05/2010 page12)