Five major combat sports make up the forthcoming Laro ng Lahi-Ifugao, an all-women festival set in the municipality of Lagawe this weekend.
Boxing, wushu, wrestling, weightlifting, and taekwondo will be featured in the meet which unreels 8 to 9 July.
A total of 400 participants are seeing action in the two-day meet to be held at the Lagawe Town Plaza and Village Park.
“The project is to support the grassroots program of Ifugao and mandated by the Philippine Commission on Women to always remember indigenous sports,” said PSC commissioner Bong Coo in the Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum Tuesday at the conference hall of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
“Since Ifugao has been a great help in our grassroots program, we decide to help them too and feature their indigenous people,” said the bowling Hall of Famer.
The meet is in coordination with Ifugao Governor Jerry Dalipog and Executive Assistant Agustin Calya-en.
Coo added in the session presented by San Miguel Corporation, PSC, Milo, Philippine Olympic Committee, and the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation that ethnic cultural games will likewise be part of the calendar of events.
The cultural sports are labba race, guyyudan (tug of war), kadang-kadang, dopop di babuy, manbayu, hanggul, huktingan, bultung, dopap di manuk.
As added incentive, the provincial government of Ifugao initiated on its own a coaching certification on technical officials who are going to participate.
At the same time, the local government is in the process of building a covered court to house their local athletes.
