Martial Arts clubs specializing in kickboxing are hoping to form a competitive team and join the Philippine delegation to the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) that will take place in September in Turkmenistan.
Monith Pabroa, head coach of the D Elements MMA, maintains a slew of mixed martial arts fighters who have kickboxing and muay thai as skill base.
“Marami akong pwedeng fighters na isabak sa qualifying events. Currently they are very active sila sa MMA scene,” said Pabroa, a member of the National Muay Thai and Kickboxing Council of the Philippines (NMKBP).
NMKBP is a group of martial arts gyms headed by Emmanuel Sabrine, who is also the founder of the Southeast Asia Fighting Championships, based in Angeles City, Pampanga.
Other members of the NMKBP are New Blood MMA of Larry Baluyan and Rey Abiquebel, Rey Biagtan of Biagtan MMA in Caviete, to name a few. The NMKBP have bonded with other gyms like Yaw-Yan Kampilan, Phil Kamao, MP Highland and World Kickboxing League-Philipines to form the Kickboxing Alliance of the Philippines (KAP).
The KAP has an active line-up of Filipino fighters ready to carry the country’s flag in international competitions, like the Asian martial arts games.
Among the athletes who have expressed intention to join the kickboxing national team are CJ De Tomas, former kickboxing champion in the national games and currently MMA champion at URCC, and Aj Matthews, a Fil-American MMA fighter seeing action at Bellator.
Stakeholders of the KAP have also vowed to work closely with the Muay Association of the Philippines (MAP), headed by Gen. (ret.) Lucas Managuelod and secretary general Pearl Managuelod.
“Maganda ito para sa kapakanan ng mga fighters and unity ng martial arts sa Pilipinas,” Brico Santig of WKL-Philippines. “We can help both in kickboxing and muay thai ng MAP. Hopefuly, we’ll be able to come up with a competitive team that will qualify to the criteria set by officials.”
The Philippine Olympic Committee has formed the task force that will lead the selection of athletes who will make up the Philippine delegation to be headed by Chief of Mission Monsour Del Rosario of taekwondo and deputy chief Raymund Lee Reyes of karate.
For sports that are not regular member of the National Sports Associations under the POC, Reyes said they are planning to hold unified qualifying events.
“Dito natin makukuha ung best athletes to represent the Philippines,” said Reyes.
The Task Force had recently made its assessment of athletes bidding to join the games set Sept. 17-27 in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
Around 30 wrestlers, 28 athletes in the sport of kurasch and eight athletes in dance sports are currently preparing to join.
“This is what we got so far, from the many number of events listed,” said Lee-Reyes in an radio interview.
Del Rosario and Lee-Reyes recently checked the preparations of Filipino athletes by visiting the office and training areas of many NSAs involved.
So far, there are 12 male and 5 female athletes that are aspiring to make it to the Greco Roman squad in regular wrestling, while another 20 are being considered in belt wrestling.
Sports officials are still finding out if there are players from billiards team, bowling Association.
In sports of kurasch, they are thinking of bringing along 14 male and 14 female athletes.
In the 2013 AIMAG held in Incheon, South Korea, the Philippines won three medals—one gold and two bronzes—and wound up 19th out of 43 competing nations.
Chery Gamili and Clarice Parcon claimed the gold and bronze in dancesport while Rubilen Amit took the bronze in billiards.
