THE members of the Asean Schools Sports Council (ASSC) will troop to Cebu next month for the biennial meeting of the 45th Management Committee and 58th Technical Committee at the Marco Polo Hotel.
The ASSC is a group composing people responsible for their countries’ promotion of physical education and recreation through school-based sports.
Philippines Sports Commission information officer Kitch Medina said that eight sports and education ministers will be coming over to discuss the school-based sports programs of each of the country-members—Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand Singapore, Vietnam and Laos.
Medina added that the group will assess what they have done for the grassroots in the past year and also talk about future hosting of competitions among these nations. The group’s focus is for athletes 18-years-old and under. The sports they are prioritizing are track and field, volleyball, swimming, gymnastics, tennis, golf, sepak takraw, net ball, badminton, football and hockey.
Asean sports meet
These country representatives will also discuss the hosting for the various Asean sports meet. Early this year, the Philippines hosted the Asean Schools Badminton Championship at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
The group will also discuss the lessons they have learned from the recent 2008 Beijing Olympics and try to incorporate it
with their program.
In his message to the council, PSC Chairman William Butch Ramirez, who is currently the president of the management committee, said he acknowledged the Philippines has been remiss in its duties towards the council but added that as head of the PSC and the ASSC, he “will make a commitment towards a renewed, active and sustained participation in the programs and objectives of the council.”
The primary aim of the Council is to strengthen international ties, appreciation and understanding among Asean member-nations, encourage the development of programs in physical education, sports and recreation in the Asean region and strive to improve the professional preparation of regional expertise in PE, sports and recreation and to make the use of such expertise available to its member-nations. (MCB)
