Roundup
Odom-led Mighty-PH faces tall order in Dubai caging
Los Angeles Lakers star Lamar Odom is almost in tip-top condition but Mighty Sports coach Charles Tiu has expressed apprehension after learning that three top Middle East teams will also compete in the Dubai International Basketball Tournament slated Feb. 1 to 9.
Aside from reigning titlist Coastal Star of Tunisia, Mighty Sports might also face the Jordan national team and Al Riyadi of Lebanon, depending on which group the Philippine representative will land on in the preliminaries of the 10-team tournament.
Tiu is also concerned that his team is yet to practice together.
“That’s a big challenge, while other teams have been playing together for a couple of years now we will only have at least seven practice days,” said Tiu with a smile.
Team owner Alex Wongchuking echoed Tiu’s observation, saying the team, also sponsored by Healthcube, Go For Gold and Oriental Group, is hard-pressed to mirror its impressive Jones Cup sweep in Taiwan and a runner-up finish in the Merlion Cup, both in 2016.
PH-Go For Gold sepak takraw team preps up for sea games
The Philippine-Go for Gold sepak takraw team has a busy calendar as it bid to claim the ultimate prize in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
The 2016 world champion squad will begin its journey to success by competing in the Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia, on April 26 to May 4.
“The key is to expose our players to as many overseas tournaments as we can for them to gain more experience against a variety of opponents,” said Pilipinas Sepak Takraw Association president Karen Tanchanco-Caballero.
Go For Gold’s Jeremy Go recently committed to throw his all-out support behind sepak takraw’s buildup for the 11-nation Games on Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 to be held in the cities of Clark, Subic and Metro Manila.
After the Arafura meet, the men’s and women’s squads will set up camp in South Korea and Thailand before joining several Thailand leagues.
The PH team brought home a silver and three bronze medals from the 2018 King’s Cup Sepak Takraw World Championships held in Nakhon Rachasima, Thailand.
