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WITH two Filipino swimmers have already assured of
slots in the 2008 Olympics, the national tae kwon do jins are
expected to add more when they compete in the prestigious World
Championship scheduled May 18 to 22 in Beijing, China.
Philippine Tae Kwon Do
Association president Robert Aventajado said that the World Meet is
one of the three Olympic qualifying tournaments the RP jins will be
joining.
“We are preparing and doing our
best to contribute and we are very hopeful that we will also be able
to deliver,” said Aventajado. “It is a good atmosphere that even
in the delivery of the country’s first Olympic gold, we have
competition. It’s the best possible environment we can possibly
create for the sake of our country because at the end of the day,
the whole country will celebrate.”
The PTA will send 15-man strong
delegation in the tournament, which is expected to be participating
by world powers South Korea, China, Iran, the United States and
Chinese Taipei among others.
Olympians Donald David Geisler,
Tshomlee Go and Mary Antoinette Rivero will spearhead the RP’s
campaign to qualify in the Beijing Summer Games and hopefully to end
the country’s gold medal drought in the quadrennial games.
“If our athletes will only have
sincere dedication and discipline in what they are doing with the
support of our sports leaders and sponsors like the First Gentleman,
I’m hopeful that our efforts will produce Olympic gold in
Beijing,” the PTA chief added.
--Emil Noguera
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