PH paddlers shoot for glory, World Games slots in Palawan

The ICF Dragon Boat World Championship slated to be held in Puerto Princesa City in late October will be a qualifying event for Filipinos to see action in the World Games, a meet where sports not included in the Summer Olympics are showcased also every four years.

“It’s a must for our paddlers to reach the podium (in Palawan) to be able to qualify,’’ Philippine Canoe Kayak Federation president Len Escollante told the Inquirer, with dragon boat to see action for the first time in the World Games set Aug. 7 to Aug. 17, 2025 along with a bevy of other non-Olympic sports.

So far, Team Philippines has won two gold medals since the inception of the World Games in 1981 coming from Carlo Biado of billiards (men’s nine-ball singles) in 2017 Wroclaw, Poland, and Junna Tsukii of karate (women’s 50 kilograms) in 2022 Birmingham, Alabama, United State.

Other sports in the World Games lineup where Filipinos could churn out medals are bowling, cheerleading, jujitsu, kickboxing, muay thai, powerlifting, roller sports, sambo, squash and wushu.

Only 10 teams in the Puerto Princesa event, slated for Oct. 27 to Nov. 4, will make it to next year’s World Games. The qualifiers will be determined based on cumulative times in the mixed team small boat or 10-seater category in the 200, 500 and 2,000-meter races to be staged at the scenic Puerto Princesa Baywalk overlooking the Sulu Sea.

Filipino paddlers snagged the overall title during the 2018 dragon boat worlds held at Lake Lanier Olympic Park in Gainesville, Georgia, in the United States after topping the 10-seater and 20-seater senior mixed 200 m and 500 m races.

At that time, they also bagged silver medals in the big boat mixed 2000 m and small boat men’s 500 m. INQ