SUBIC BAY FREEPORT — The growing number of Taekwondo enthusiasts in the country now have another event to look forward to — a yearly tournament here in the Subic Bay Freeport.
Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairman Feliciano Salonga said on Wednesday that the SBMA Chairman’s Cup Invitational Taekwondo Championship that kicked off on Saturday at the Subic gym will henceforth be held as an annual tournament open to competitors nationwide.
“This will be a good opportunity for our athletes to hone their skills and strut their stuff,” Salonga said. “Subic has been regularly hosting sports competitions like triathlon, car and jet ski races, beach volleyball, and now we have taekwondo as the latest attraction.
He added that the Subic Freeport is becoming a popular venue for national sports events because of its facilities like track oval, basketball and tennis courts, baseball field, racetracks, golf course, as well as the biggest sports arena here — Subic Bay, which is used for various water sports events.
Saturday’s inaugural games, which was organized by Mondriaan Aura College in cooperation with the Hallelujah Taekwondo Ministry (HTM) of Korea and the Philippine Taekwondo Association (PTA), attracted a total of 170 taekwondo jins from Manila and Central Luzon.
Aura vice-president Editha Geniza said the Subic taekwondo tournament was conceived as part of the school’s efforts to hone students’ skills in the field of sports, and in line with the SBMA’s sports tourism program.
“We have been producing top-notch taekwondo athletes who compete in various tournaments, but it was clear that they, and other taekwondo jins in this region, needed more avenues to showcase their talents,” Geniza said.
Fortunately, Aura has found willing partners — the SBMA and HTM — “so the event kicked off easily,” Geniza said.
HTM, which was organized in Korea in 1988, has been conducting similar tournaments in Manila for the past seven years, according to HTM spokesman Rev. Cho Sung.
Cho, who is the pastor of a full-gospel church here, said they have thought of organizing taekwondo tournaments to help establish stronger Philippines-Korea ties, and more importantly, spreading the Christian message.
He said they decided to bring taekwondo competitions to Subic since an HTM missions base was nearby, and because the free port has facilities and a conducive environment for sports events.
Cho also predicted that the SBMA Chairman’s Cup Invitational Taekwondo Championship will become a much-awaited, annual event “that will create a positive impact in the community”, as could be seen from the good turnout of participants in the first outing.
Aside from organizing tournaments, HTM plans to conduct taekwondo clinics in Subic Bay and Olongapo City. Cho said they will invite Korean taekwondo masters regularly to the events.
“Who knows, the taekwondo tournaments and clinics here might even produce athletes for the Philippine team in the future,” Cho added.
