MORE than 600 gymnasts and coaches from seven countries will converge in the Philippines to honor the contributions of a departed coach in the sport when the 1st Sonny Ty International Gymnastics Cup is held Oct. 15 and 16 at the Muntinlupa Sports Complex, at the Tunasan Baywalk.
The Philippines will be fielding in nine teams, including gymnasts developed by the Philippine Gymnastics and Athletics Academy, under the tutelage of the late coach Ty, who passed away on March 2008, but not after developing a number of gymnast-talents, some of whom have become part of various national teams. Ty also took under his wings student-athletes, whom he made athletic scholars at the University of the East, aside from young high school and out-of-school youth who enrolled in his programs.
The PGAA will welcome seven teams from Indonesia, two from India, and a team each from Sri Lanka, Singapore and Malaysia in the tournament supported by the City Government of Muntinlupa led by Mayor Jaime R. Fresnedi.
The PGAA aims to field in more than 30 of its own athletes, many of whom have yet to get a taste of an international competition due to financial constraints.
Organizers hope to expose these young athletes to follow the footsteps of their seniors, who have already competed in various international meets, including the Southeast and Asian Games in the past.
