Underwater hockey is making a serious bid for a gold medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games, hoping that a strong performance in the event the country will host late this year will generate interest from athletes in the provinces.
The sport’s national federation sent players in the Australian Underwater Hockey National Championships in Cairns, Australia, recently.
The players were sent there as part of their preparations for the SEA Games.
Underwater hockey will be a first-time event in the regional meet, with expected participation of teams from Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
To ensure that the country’s teams do well at SEAG 2019, players have been training continuously with the help of coaches provided by the Philippine Sports Commission.
Participation in international meets has been a buildup strategy for the team.
PH men’s team standout Christopher Policarpo played on the New South Wales Men’s Masters team, which bagged its second gold medal at the Aussie Nationals.