Singapore bats for PH netball

MANILA, Philippines — Netball Singapore has formalized its offer to develop the sport in the Philippines.

In a letter to Philippine Olympic Committee secretary general Steve Hontiveros, Cyrus Medora, CEO of Netball Singapore, said the host nation of the 2015 Southeast Asian Games will be sending over two of their best coaches to conduct a four-day course for the coaches and players at Singapore’s expense.

“I believe netball will easily generate interest among the players and the youth since the game is strikingly similar to basketball, which is no doubt our favorite sport,” said Hontiveros Wednesday.

Netball is played mainly by women in over 80 countries in the world. It uses basketball rules and equipment except that the goal has no backboard.

Hontiveros said Singapore has decided to promote netball and floorball, which the country will be staging for the first time in 2015, to all member nations of the SEAG.

There are 36 sports in the Singapore Games’ calendar with floorball and netball as the only traditional sports chosen by the hosts.