RP to put best foot forward in hosting 2014 Asian Beach Games

The Philippines hopes to start its preparations for hosting the 2014 Asian Beach Games (ABG) in order to gain a foothold of winning in their bid of staging the 2015 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president Jose "Peping" Cojuangco Jr. said hosting the 2014 ABG, to be held on the island of Boracay, will be a prelude of what to expect if the country earns the hosting rights for the 2015 SEA Games. The Philippines is planning to bid of hosting the 2015 SEA Games. Cojuangco said the POC will make early evaluations to fully prepare in hosting the Asian Beach Games. "I think for the next couple of months, we have to signify our full intention to host the Asian Beach Games. We’ll also plan on how to handle hosting the (ABG)," said Cojuangco. The ABG is the brainchild of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) where beach sports are played. Among the sports on the calendar are beach wrestling, surfing, windsurfing, sailing, swimming, beach basketball, beach volleyball, beach handball, beach soccer, woodball, waterpolo, triathlon, jet ski, and dragon boat racing. Bali, Indonesia hosted the inaugural Beach Games while the second edition of the biennial event will be held in Muscat, Oman this year. The OCA selected Boracay as the host for 2014 but Cojuangco plans to spread the events in different beaches of the country to showcase the other scenic spots although he admits that logistics could be a problem. "The Philippines has been known for having a lot of beautiful beaches, maybe it’s an opportunity to spread it around and show off our beaches to the rest of the world," Cojuangco said. The last time the Philippines hosted an Asian multi-sport event was during the 1954 Asian Games at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. Cojuangco came up with the idea of bidding to host the 2015 SEA Games after attending the SEA Games Federation (SEAGF) council meeting where the 2013 edition was given to Myanmanr. The Philippines hosted the 1981, 1991 and 2005 SEA Games—with most of the events held at the historic Rizal Memorial Sports Complex. – JVP, GMANews.TV