PH arnis hopes to ride on SEA Games success

By Waylon Galvez

After winning 14 gold medals in the 30th Southeast Asian Games, the national sport of arnis hopes to take advantage of its success with plans to host next year’s World Championship in Lapu-Lapu City, Cebu.

Senator Miguel Zubiri, president of the Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation, has already expressed his desire to have the 16th World Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation in July 2020.

“We have to take advantage of the success of arnis during the SEA Games with the hosting of the World Championship next year, and Senator Miguel Zubiri has said it’s going to be held in Cebu,” said PEKAF executive vice president Gerald Cañete last Friday.

“Arnis is our national sports, and it originated in the province of Cebu, which is celebrating its 500th year,” added Cañete, also the competitions manager of arnis during the SEA Games.

WEKAF has a total of 50 member countries and Cañete expects all to participate, with more than 1,000 athletes seeing action in at least 50 events.

The event is held every two years, with Hawaii staging the previous edition of the World Championship in 2018.

“We expect a bigger participation next year because the World Championship, the sport of arnis is coming back home, right to where it all started – Cebu. So there is excitement among the member countries, the participating athletes from around the world,” said Cañete.

The sport of arnis, under the leadership of Zubiri, made a huge impact in the country’s campaign in the biennial meet as it bagged 14 gold medals, with four silvers and two bronzes.

Aside from the World Championship next year, arnis is likely to be included in the 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi, Vietnam.

“We’ve already talked to our counterparts from Vietnam, and they’ve expressed intention to include arnis in the 2021 SEA Games. Hopefully we’ll get to the final calendar of events,” said Cañete.

Source: Manila Bulletin