CLARK FREEPORT – Olympics-style international games for indigenous peoples?
It’s a scenario that leaders from various groups want realized by next year, with the launching here today of the first elimination rounds initially for Aeta athletes for the national competition called MAD tribal games slated this November. MAD stands for Mangyan, Aeta, and Dumagat indigenous peoples.
“We hope to coordinate with the sports officials of countries of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) so that by next year, it’s going to be an international sports event that we could like to institutionalize,” said Guy Hilbero, chief of the tourism department of Mabalacat, Pampanga.
The MAD tribal games are being organized by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the ASEAN Center (ACB) for Biodiversity, the Philippine Soft Tennis Association (PSTA), the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the Mabalacat Tourism Office.
Initially, the tribal athletes will compete in archery, javelin spear throwing, and barefoot runs, HIlbero said.
The first batch of athletes will Aetas from Central Luzon who will participate in elimination rounds to be held at the picnic grounds in this freeport today, he said. The elimination rounds for Mangyans will be held in Mamburao in Mindoro Occidental on Sept. 18 and for Dumagats in Gen. Nakar in Quezon province, organizers said.
“We hope to include other indigenous peoples in the future,” Hilbero noted.
Winning athletes in the elimination rounds will compete with each other in at the national level games in this freeport on Nov. 6. The POC will provide a technical group to record, umpire, and marshall the games, Hilbero also said.
Sports guidelines prepared by the organizers said three athletes per team will participate in archery and javelin throws and six members per team in the foot race.
Tribal archery will be in the squatting or kneeling and standing position categories, with each athlete shooting three arrows at targets 10 meters away.
Each athlete will also be allowed only three spear throws, the winner being the one whose spear lands farthest.
Hilbero said the sports events will also include tribal cultural presentation. “The project has as its objective the projection of the cultural heritages of the indigenous peoples,” he said.
He also said that PSTA president Jeff Antonio Tamayo Jr. is set to hold meetings with sports officials of ASEAN governments to prepare for bigger international tribal games next year, hopefully to be hosted by the Philippines.
“Apart from preserving the cultural heritages of tribal folk, this endeavor will also promote tourism,” he added.
It’s a scenario that leaders from various groups want realized by next year, with the launching here today of the first elimination rounds initially for Aeta athletes for the national competition called MAD tribal games slated this November. MAD stands for Mangyan, Aeta, and Dumagat indigenous peoples.
“We hope to coordinate with the sports officials of countries of the ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) so that by next year, it’s going to be an international sports event that we could like to institutionalize,” said Guy Hilbero, chief of the tourism department of Mabalacat, Pampanga.
The MAD tribal games are being organized by the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC), the ASEAN Center (ACB) for Biodiversity, the Philippine Soft Tennis Association (PSTA), the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) and the Mabalacat Tourism Office.
Initially, the tribal athletes will compete in archery, javelin spear throwing, and barefoot runs, HIlbero said.
The first batch of athletes will Aetas from Central Luzon who will participate in elimination rounds to be held at the picnic grounds in this freeport today, he said. The elimination rounds for Mangyans will be held in Mamburao in Mindoro Occidental on Sept. 18 and for Dumagats in Gen. Nakar in Quezon province, organizers said.
“We hope to include other indigenous peoples in the future,” Hilbero noted.
Winning athletes in the elimination rounds will compete with each other in at the national level games in this freeport on Nov. 6. The POC will provide a technical group to record, umpire, and marshall the games, Hilbero also said.
Sports guidelines prepared by the organizers said three athletes per team will participate in archery and javelin throws and six members per team in the foot race.
Tribal archery will be in the squatting or kneeling and standing position categories, with each athlete shooting three arrows at targets 10 meters away.
Each athlete will also be allowed only three spear throws, the winner being the one whose spear lands farthest.
Hilbero said the sports events will also include tribal cultural presentation. “The project has as its objective the projection of the cultural heritages of the indigenous peoples,” he said.
He also said that PSTA president Jeff Antonio Tamayo Jr. is set to hold meetings with sports officials of ASEAN governments to prepare for bigger international tribal games next year, hopefully to be hosted by the Philippines.
“Apart from preserving the cultural heritages of tribal folk, this endeavor will also promote tourism,” he added.
