Zubiri says arnis eyeing golden surge in SEA Games

There are no bold promises of a golden sweep, but expectations are sky-high that Philippine arnis will contribute a large share to the country’s medal hunt in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.

Arnis, which offers 20 gold medals, is a martial art that originated in the Philippines.

“We should do well in arnis in the SEA Games because it is our national sport,” said Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, president of the Philippine Eskrima Kali Arnis Federation.

“But it’s really tough to win it all; other countries are also steadily improving,” Zubiri added.

According to the arnis chief, Vietnam has a good program while Cambodia, Myanmar and Brunei have also committed to see action in the discipline during the Nov. 30 to Dec. 11 SEA Games that the Philippines will host.

During the 2005 Manila SEA Games, the Philippines won three of the six gold medals in arnis, while Vietnam captured the rest of the mints.

“Our target is to win majority of the events and help boost our overall medal tally,” said Zubiri, an arnis national champion during his prime.

The Philippines is heavily banking on its combat athletes to corner a considerable amount of gold medals.

A total of 180 golds will be up for grabs in 14 contact sports.