AFTER the Philippines’ record medal haul in the 20th Asian Games, the country is pinning its hopes on 69 athletes competing in the 5th Asian Para Games in Nagoya, Japan, from October 18 to 24.

Philippine Paralympic Committee (PPC) president Mike Barredo expressed confidence that the delegation would deliver a strong performance despite the exclusion of chess, which accounted for eight of the country’s 10 gold medals in the 2023 edition in Hangzhou, China.

“They made sure chess is not included because we will surely win. But I pushed for it. Pinilit natin,” Barredo said during Tuesday’s Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) media room.

“But we will make up for that,” he added, thanking the PSC for its full support for the country’s campaign.

The Philippines finished ninth overall in the 2023 Asian Para Games, winning 10 gold, four silver, and five bronze medals.

“We promise to do better even without chess,” Barredo said. He was joined at the forum by Para taekwondo coach Gershon Bautista.

The country’s optimism comes after the Philippines won four gold, nine silver, and 16 bronze medals for a total of 29 in the recent Asian Games. The haul was the country’s biggest since it collected 42 medals—two gold, 15 silver, and 25 bronze—at the 1966 Games in Thailand.

Barredo acknowledged that China remains the team to beat in Nagoya after dominating the 2023 Asian Para Games with 214 gold, 167 silver, and 140 bronze medals.

“Kalahati ng golds kanila. They have two or three competitors in each event,” Barredo said at the forum, presented by San Miguel Corporation, PSC, Philippine Olympic Committee, MILO, and sports app ArenaPlus.

The Philippine delegation will compete in 11 sports, including swimming, athletics, cycling, table tennis, and taekwondo.

Bautista expressed confidence in the athletes’ preparations, saying their skills and consistency during training had been encouraging.

“Skills-wise, we are right there. As we’ve seen during training, the consistency is there. No complaints,” he said.

Barredo shared Bautista’s optimism, noting that the country’s Para sports program has continued to grow.

“The growth of Para in the Philippines has been steady. But we need to improve on our grassroots. That’s why we are pushing for Para to be included in the Batang Pinoy,” he said.

Barredo stressed that strengthening grassroots development would help identify and nurture more athletes with disabilities, build a stronger talent pool, and sustain the country’s competitiveness in future international competitions.