A total of 395 athletes will banner Team Philippines in the Hangzhou Asian Games slated 23 September to 8 October.
Philippine Olympic Committee president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino announced on Friday the number of Filipino bets who will compete in 37 of the 40 sports in the continental meet calendar.
“The number reached 400 but was later trimmed down after a series of deliberations by the POC and the national sports associations,” Tolentino said after the POC General Assembly at the East Ocean Seafood Restaurant.
The Philippines aims to match if not surpass the four gold medals won in the 2018 Jakarta and Palembang Asiad.
Filipina athletes Hidilyn Diaz-Naranjo in weightlifting, Margielyn Didal in skateboarding and Yuka Saso, Bianca Pagdanganan and Lois Kaye Go in the women’s individual and team golf delivered the mints for the country in the previous edition of the Asiad. The country also took home two silvers and 15 bronze medals.
The POC head, meanwhile, named Philippine Skating Union president Nikki Cheng as a deputy chef de missions to the Asian Games. She joins chef de mission Richard Gomez and deputy Karen Caballero.
On the other hand, the International Jet Sports Boating Association got accepted as the POC’s 55th regular voting member while the Cheerleading Association of the Philippines has been admitted as its ninth associated member.