FILE – The Philippines’ Daniel Caluag, right, hurdles a jump on the way to a bronze medal in the 2018 Asian Games BMX competition. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines-BMX cyclists Daniel Caluag and Patrick Coo will headline the stellar cast of national team riders after the Philippines secured the hosting of the 2023 Asian BMX Championships and Asian Junior BMX Championships for racing and freestyle.
Caluag, the 2012 London Olympian and 2014 Asian Games gold medalist, is expected to be at the forefront of the nation’s campaign during the March 3-6 races at the International Cycling Union-standard BMX track at the Tagaytay City International Convention Center complex.
Coo, meanwhile, will showcase his continued progress following a gold medal in the 2019 Asian Junior Championships.
“We thank the ACC (Asian Cycling Confederation) for granting the PhilCycling’s bid to host the Asian championships,” said PhilCycling chief Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, also the president of the Philippine Olympic Committee.
“It’s been a while since we hosted international cycling events and with this privilege, PhilCycling, Tagaytay City and the entire country for that matter, will put their best foot forward for this event,” added Tolentino.
The ACC announced the granting of the hosting rights to the Philippines through the Integrated Cycling Federation of the Philippines (PhilCycling) on Sunday during the Asian federation’s annual congress in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
According to Tolentino, the PhilCycling will ask the UCI to calendar the 2023 Asian championships as qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The last time international cycling competitions were held in the country was in 2019 during the 30th Southeast Asian Games where Tagaytay City served as the main hub of the races for road and BMX while nearby Laurel in Batangas hosted the mountain bike (MTB) competitions.
BMX freestyle, an Olympic and UCI event, consists of flatland and street with 2019 SEA Games veterans Renz Viaje and Alan Ray Alfaro carrying the national colors.