The Villages inside Clark Freeport Zone is the official venue for Softball and Baseball competitions during the 30th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. (CDC-CD Photo)
CLARK FREEPORT – With the Philippines’ overall dominance of the 30th edition of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, this Freeport has also won the hearts of many as it left an “indelible mark” on the members of various delegations in the biennial games.
After showing its readiness in hosting several sports competitions here, Clark has evidently left a lasting imprint after it received some positive reactions from the officials, athletes, and coaches of different participating countries.
Daniel John Simmons, coach of Thailand team for Lawn Bowl game, described their experience here as “warm, positive, and enjoyable,”
“It’s been a very positive experience. We’ve enjoyed the experience immensely and the facility here is brand new,” Simmons added.
Softball athletes from Malaysia were also happy with the field of play inside The Villages, the official site for the baseball and softball games.
“We arrived one or two days before the tournament and I must say that the field here is very good, well-maintained grass which is soft and easy to make a slide to avoid injury,” said Syarifah Aisyah, a softball player from Malaysia.
Relatedly, officials from the sports of Archery and Rugby 7s were also satisfied with the preparations made in the sports venue inside the Freeport.
World Archery Philippines (WAP) official Karla Cabrera lauded the Clark Parade Grounds as an ideal location for the archery game and for other international competitions.
“I am just happy to say that this is a really excellent facility that was prepared. It’s world-class actually. And our field of play, it’s a very good field for international competitions,” she said.
Cabrera also said that the vast area of the Parade Grounds makes it a suitable site for hosting world championships.
Meanwhile, Philippine Rugby Team coach Andy Brown shared the same observation, while he also mentioned about the Parade Ground’s unique pitch or playing field. Similarly, he cited the other services and accommodations available near the area.
“Clark has a wonderful pitch here and I definitely recommend it and its great facilities. With all the things that are going around here as well as the restaurants and everything else, it’s really good,” he said.
In her recent visit here to show support to the players, Renowned Filipino athletes Elma Muros was likewise impressed with the sites provided for the games here.
“Unang – una ang ganda ng facilities, tahimik, organized. Perfect ito para sa akin at mga atleta ang galing,” she mentioned.
Muros said that the athletes today are blessed as they are provided facilities to help them with their training and prepare them for their competitions.
Clark Freeport is one of the official sites of the 30th SEA Games where it hosted various competitions including Softball, Baseball, Archery, Rugby 7s, Dancesport, Petanque, and Lawn Bowl.
The Aquatics and Athletics competitions also took place at the New Clark City which houses the world-class sports venue such as the Athletics Stadium that can accommodate 20,000 spectators and Aquatics center which features a 10-lane pool and an 8-lane training pool for athletes. Both of these were also highly praised by athletes, delegations and other visitors.
A suitable and preferred venue for multi-sports event, this Freeport was also recently recognized by the Philippine Tourism and Sports Awards (PTSA) as the Sports – Tourism destination of the year after hosting more than 200 sports-related events including fun-runs, marathon, triathlon, duathlon, football, and cycling among others.
