Polo ushers in SEAG hostilities

MANILA, Philippines — The 30th Southeast Asian Games will formally open on Nov. 30 yet but for Filipino athletes in nine sports, the battle begins even before the Games’ cauldron is lit.

Team Philippines’ bets in polo will plunge into action at the Inigo Zobel and Miguel Romero Polo Facilities in Calatagan, Batangas on Nov. 24 with the preliminaries in the Division A 4-6 goals setting off hostilities.

The hosts’ representatives in football, floorball, and netball will launch their respective bids the following day, Nov. 25.

The Azkals Under-22 squad will face off with Cambodia at Rizal Memorial Stadium while the Malditas will duel with Myanmar over at Biñan Stadium in Laguna. 

The floorball aces will hit the floor for the men’s and women’s preliminaries at University of the Philippines College of Human Kinetics Gym even as their netball counterparts will do battle over at Sta. Rosa Sports Complex.

Water polo stars will start their campaign on Nov. 26 at the brand-new New Clark City Aquatics Center with the women’s team taking the pool in the morning sessions and the men’s crew debuting in the afternoon.

Windsurfing representatives will start competing on Nov. 28 in Subic while it will be the turn of the men’s and women’s beach volleyball bets to shoot for winning openers at Subic Tennis Center the following day. The Philippines’ sailing team will also see action Nov. 29 as do the figure skaters over at SM Megamall.

The host delegation will unleash more prospects immediately after the Nov. 30 opening ceremonies with arnis, chess, cycling (cross country), dance sport, gymnastics, ice hockey, kurash, lawn bowls, squash, tennis, and three sports with gold medals already at stake, triathlon, weightlifting and wushu slated Dec. 1.

Fancied bets from medal-rich swimming (Dec. 4), athletics (Dec. 6), and shooting (Dec. 2), traditional gold mines boxing (Dec. 3), billiards (Dec. 3), and Gilas Pilipinas (Dec. 4) will don the Philippines’ colors in the succeeding days.