WORLD champions, a mix of grizzled veterans and rising stars and the strong Philippine delegation is ready to rock the Chengdu World Games firing off Thursday (August 7) in the Chinbese megacity bracing for the arrival of thousands of athletes from around the globe.

Hopes are high for the 47 Filipinos vying for glory in the 11-day tournament for non-Olympic sports with the second batch of representatives flying in Tuesday (August 5) from Manila and Hong Kong.

The men’s floorball team arrived in the Chinese city Sunday to get a feel of the Xindu Xiangcheng Sports Centre—the sprawling competition venue shaped like a lotus leaf from above —with its first preliminary game set against Latvia at 9 a.m. on Thursday.

Cable wakeboard sensation Raph Trinidad departs for Tianfu—the main transport hub for international arrivals—early Tuesday along with wushu athletes Agatha Wong and Jones Inso aboard Air China.

The Philippine Olympic Committee, headed by president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino, named Trinidad and Wong as the country’s flag bearers in the parade of athletes during the opening ceremony.

“I am deeply grateful for the incredible honor and opportunity to showcase to the world that Filipinos have the talent and spirit to excel in wakeboarding,” said Trinidad, who trained at the Deca Wakepark Clark in Pampanga to prepare for the Chengdu games.

“While I can’t predict the outcome, one thing is certain — I will give my absolute best. This is for my family, for everyone, and for the wakeboarding community,” added the accomplished 23-year-old athlete.

Eric Ordonez of wake surfing leaves from Hong Kong for a short flight to the mainland in the afternoon.
Trinidad and Ordonez will try to qualify for the semifinals on August 8 at the Sancha Lake Taohuadao Arena, while Wong and Inso plunge into action in the taolu event on the same day at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Gymnasium.

The biggest arrival comes on Wednesday with the 12-man dragon boat team, muay thai star Rudzma Abubakar, and the duathlon team led by Kim Mangrobang all entering the Athletes’ Village dubbed the “Chengdu Home” and serviceable for 7,000 participants.

The star-studded batch of billiards world champions Rubilen Amit and Chezka Centeno, 10-ball specialist Jeff de Luna, and Asian Games medalists Annie Ramirez and Kaila Napolis of jiu-jitsu follow on Friday.