RP drops hosting of Asian Junior Wushu tilt

MANILA, Philippines – Funding woes have forced the Wushu Federation Philippines (WFP) to call off its hosting of the Asian Junior Wushu Championships, which are supposed to be played this month. According to WFP president Julian Camacho, the association made the decision to cancel the Philippines’ first-ever hosting of a Junior Championship after failing to raise the funds to stage the meet. “We will need some P5 to P8 million for the tournament because no less than 30 countries and 500 wushu artist are going to compete," explained Camacho. Further hampering the bid to lure prospective sponsors for the event is the ongoing leadership mess at the WFP. Camacho himself is fighting off an ouster move initiated by a renegade group that includes four members of the board and secretary-general Edwin Pimentel. Camacho clings on to the position on the strength of an order from the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) declaring a status quo in the WFP pending the approval of the group’s registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Even Camacho’s rival group has apparently been unsuccessful in getting private sponsorship. “I met Edwin (Pimentel) and asked him if they have raised the money. But he informed me they have yet to get the fund-raising going and since we have no time, we decided to cancel the event," Camacho explained. He said he has already informed the Asian Wushu Federation of the WFP’s decision to drop the hosting, expressing confidence the Asian body will understand the country’s situation and not mete out possible sanctions. The hosting was granted May of last year and was supposedly the second major international wushu competition to be played in the Philippines. In 1996, the country successfully hosted the Asian Wushu Championships at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium. –GMANews.TV