Oldest athlete carries bridge hopes

MANILA, Philippines — An octogenarian will compete in contract bridge for the Philippines at the Asian Games in Jakarta as he joins a team of nine men and three women participating in four of six events where 216 card players from 14 countries are vying for honors in the mind sport’s debut on a major stage.

Seafood importer Kong Te Yang, 85, is the oldest in the Philippine squad which has an average age of 57.5 years. The other players are former Laura Ashley chief executive Viksi Egan, 74, former Secretary General of the National Statistical Coordination Board Romulo Virola, 71, psychologist Dr. Allen Tan, 71, Gemma Mariano-Tan, 64, Pangasinan farmer Alberto Quiogue, 61, Gerry Alquiros, 60, psychiatrist Dr. George Soo, 57, Peninsula Hotel bridge convenor Joseph Maliwat, 39, computer expert Eleazar Cabanilla, 39, China Trust Bank chief financial officer Andrew Falcon, 36 and Ann De Guzman, 33.

Two other seniors in the competition set from Aug. 21 to Sept. 1 are Indonesian tobacco tycoon Michael Hartono, 78 and Malaysia’s Lee Hung Fong, 81. Contract bridge is one of nine disciplines that the Asian Games will introduce. The others are jetski, ju-jitsu, kurash, paragliding, pencak silat, skateboarding, sambo and sportclimbing. E-sports and canoe polo will also make their debut as demonstration events.

Contract bridge was played for the first and only time at the 2011 Southeast Asian Games in Indonesia. The Philippines bagged two golds, two silvers and a bronze. Dr. Soo and Alquiros took the gold in men’s butler while Mariano-Tan and Alquiros combined for the gold in women’s butler.

In the Asian Games, the Philippines will enter two combinations in men’s pairs (Dr. Soo-Tan and Maliwat-Virola), six players in men’s team (Yang, Maliwat, Quiogue, Falcon, Cabanilla, Virola), Mariano-Tan and Alquiros in mixed pairs and two combinations in supermixed team (Tan, Alquiros and Soo in men and Mariano-Tan, De Guzman and Egan in women). The supermixed category pits men against women in an event that isn’t usually held in bridge competitions but the Indonesian organizers added it to the menu as a possible medal earner for the host country.

“In the Philippines, chess is played everywhere in the provinces but in Indonesia, it’s bridge,” said Dr. Soo. “Bridge is a mind game. It’s not like swimming where when you compete, you can compare your best time with your opponents so you know your chances of winning. Over a week ago, we were told by the PSC that we wouldn’t go to the Asian Games even if the POC classified us as a Class A sport, meaning expected to medal. We don’t know what happened but all of a sudden, we were later cleared to go. We were given parade barongs for the opening ceremony but we’ll miss it because the PSC disallowed us from leaving earlier since our competition still begins Tuesday.”

Dr. Soo said initially, the PSC approved only eight slots for bridge players. “We explained that games are held simultaneously, four players at a time so with eight in the team, we’re pushed to the limit,” he said. “Bridge is quite strenuous and mentally exhausting. We could start at 10 a.m. and finish at midnight. Fortunately, we were allowed to add four more players.” Seven of the 14 participating countries are sending more than 12 players with India at 25, China, Indonesia and Singapore at 24 each and Thailand at 21.

“Indonesia and China are the favorites but we’ve shown the ability to win in international competitions so we’re hoping to do well,” said Dr. Soo. “Our oldest player Mr. Yang broke his hip a few years ago and is slow in movement because of that. But mentally, he’s among the best in Asia, feared and respected by those who know better.” At the Test Games in Jakarta last December, the Philippines took the silver in the supermixed event with Tan, Mariano-Tan, Egan and Alquiros.

Mariano-Tan said she expects China to rule the world of bridge in the future, pointing out that in the Hong Kong Intercity tournament last July, there were 13 youth teams from Shanghai with players ranging in age from 10 to 16. “China is the juggernaut in bridge in Asia, followed very closely by Indonesia,” she said. “We are a spunky group and we can’t allow others to say that Filipinos can’t be just as smart in bridge. We’d like to do very well in the Asian Games not only to bring honor to our country but to be able to bring bridge into prominence as a sport that could be taken up by everyone. For young people, those who learn bridge end up with better than average math and reading scores. For older people, bridge contributes to their cognitive reserve to stave off dementia in their later years.”