Team Philippines beat defending champion and Asia powerhouse Singapore, 32-31, in the final game to capture the crown in the 2nd Southeast Asia Tchoukball Championships in Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam.

Though relatively new to the sport, Team Philippines has shown its strength and gained the respect of the Asian countries that have been playing the game for years, Philippine Tchoukball Federation official Jose “Boy” Montalbo said in a press conference yesterday.

He said the victory in Vietnam augurs well for the country’s hosting of the 5th Asia Pacific Tchoukball Championships slated on August next year at the West Negros University Gym in Bacolod City.

At least 15 to 19 countries are expected to join in the APTC event with more than 500 delegates coming over to visit Bacolod, Montalbo said, as he appealed for support from the City Government of Bacolod and the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental.

Admitting that most people are not yet aware of what tchoukball is, Montalbo and the other officers of the PTF, invited the public to watch and participate in various tchoukball clinics they are conducting in the province.

Benjie Oray, member of the men’s team that won the championship in Vietnam, said an Inter-Color Tchouckball Tournament will be held today at the Panaad Stadium.

Joining in the one day competition at the Panaad are the eight teams from different groups that have availed of free tchoukball clinic conducted by the PTF in Bacolod City, Oray said.

The competing clubs will vie for the top honors in men’s category and the mixed division, he added.

Narrating his experience is Vietnam as member of the champion Philippine team, Oray said the teams they encountered, especially Singapore in the final round, have shown advanced skills in playing tchoukball.

“Experience wise, they are superior to us but we were able to beat them by displaying a better team play,” Oray said during the press conference.

Mayan Delos Reyes, a member of the women’s team that placed second to Singapore in the women’s division, said they hope to win the championship next year when Bacolod City host the Asia Pacific Tchoukball Championships.

Meanwhile, Philippine Team director Raymund Jamelo said the high-caliber performance showed by the men and women’s team in Vietnam underscores the readiness of Filipinos in embracing tchoukball as the newest sport in the country.

He expressed hopes that the application for accreditation with the Philippine Olympic Committee will be approved soon so that Philippine tchouckball will be able to get on to the next level.*NAB

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