ASIAD CENTENNIAL GAMES FESTIVAL JAN 17-18
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 14 Jan 2014
The Filipinos? world-famous hospitality and organizational skills in sports will be showcased once again when the country hosts the three-day Asian Games Centennial Festival Jan. 17-18 at the Hotel Sofitel.
Originally scheduled November 26-29 in celebration of the 100th year anniversary of the Far Eastern Games, forerunner of the Asian Games, which was first held in Manila in 1913, the commemoration was moved this month in deference to numerous calamities that struck the country last year.
No less than 500 guests, representing all 45 member nations of the Olympic Council of Asia as well as the Association of National Olympic Committees all over the world will be on hand to attend the festival, according to Philippine Olympic committee president Jose ?Peping? Copjuangco.
?This will be the biggest gathering of sports officials, coming not only from the region but the whole world as well with the presence of representatives of the 45 Asian Games member nations but also of the 106 affiliate members of ANOC,? Cojuangco said during Thursday?s SCOOP Sa Kamayan On Air over radio station DZAR.
The main highlight of the festival will be the 32nd General Assembly of the OCA to be presided over by its Kuwaiti president Sheikh Ahmad Al-Fahad Al-Sabah, who was a Manila visitor middle of last year, Cojuangco said during the public service, sponsored by the Triple V chain restaurants and PCSO.
Festivities start Thursday with the arrival of delegates, who will be all housed at Sofitel until their departure a day after the General Assembly which will be held at the Harbor Garden of the same luxurious hotel.
An OCA executive committee meeting has been scheduled Friday noon at the Boracay Room of Sofitel, Cojuangco said during the SCOP Sa Kamayan On Air, which was also viewed via live streaming at www.sonshinetvradyo.com.
Attendees will then be joined by the country?s highest sports officials, including the Philippine sports Commission board, headed by chair Ritchie Garcia, POC members, officials of all the national sports associations and guests in the centennial celebration scheduled evening of the same day.
Asian Games equestrian champion Mikee Cojuangco-Jaworski, the newly-appointed International Olympic Committee representative to the Philippines and daughter of the POC president, will also grace the occasion.
Sheikh Al-Sabah and guests will be retracing the humble beginning of Asian sports during the First Far Eastern Games held February, 1913 when the finest athletes from China, Japan and Philippines strut their wares in 11 events, including pentathlon, decathlon and marathon.
That First FEG saw the Filipino athletes lord over their Chinese and Japanese counterparts in pentathlon, athletics, basketball, football, swimming, tennis (singles and doubles) and volleyball emerging the overall champions.
China came out the second best besting Japan for the honor. The Games were held biennially in Shanghai, Tokyo and Osaka, until 1934 with the Philippines repeating its overall championship campaign in 1925 and 1934, both held in Manila. The Japanese held the overall title four times in 1917 in Tokyo, 1923 in Osaka, 1927 in Shanghai and 1930 in Tokyo.
China won the overall crown only once during the second edition of the Games in 1915 in home ground Shanghai.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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