COMBINING youth and experience, an eight-man national squad will see action in the 9th Southeast Asian Cup Squash championships scheduled from July to 21 to 26 at the Vajiravudh College in Bangkok, Thailand.
Kayod Plipinas, the national team moniker, is made up of veterans David Pelino and Reymark Begornia, former age group standouts Christopher Buraga and Jonathan Reyes, plus promising Carl Carillo for the men’s side, while top player Jemyca Aribado, Yvonne Dalida and Aerra Relano make up the women’s squad.
Malaysian coach Wee Wern Low, a former world No. 5 and two-time Asian Games gold medalist, will be calling the shots for Kayod Pilipinas in the meet that also includes Brunei, Laos, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and host Thailand.
“We hope to do well in the SEA Cup considering the extensive exposure of our players in international play,” said Philippine Squash Academy secretary general and former PSA president Robert Bachmann, who is also the head of the Southeast Asian Squash Federation.
Bachmann said that the competition will serve as a dress rehearsal for the discipline in the 33rd Thailand Southeast Asian Games in December.
He said that events on tap are men’s and women’s singles, doubles, mixed doubles, team and jumbo doubles.
“Our athletes are competitive and we hope to win honors for our country,” said Bachmann, who looks to Pelino and Begornia among the strong medal prospects after the duo clinched the silver medal in the 25th International Jumbo Doubles tournament in Singapore last February.
He added that the regional federation will also have a general assembly meeting at the end of the competition on how member countries can coordinate and further boost squash in Southeast Asia, considering that it will make its debut as a medal sport in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“Of course, all of our members are keen on sending athletes when squash makes its debut in the LA Olympics, although it will be a tough challenge since only 16 athletes in the men’s and women’s singles draws will be up for grabs in the Summer Games,” Bachmann noted.
