MANILA, May 4 ------ Three Philippine teams are set to compete in the Touch World Cup 2024 in July.
Touch Association Pilipinas will field teams in the England tournament's men's, women's, and mixed divisions, and they said that they are aiming for a Top Five finish for each of the squads. "The World Cup is the highest level of competition for the sport, and everybody playing the sport is aiming to play in the event which is held every four years," said Carl Majabague earlier today at the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Forum.
Majabague, a member of the team that participated in the 2019 edition of the games, also briefly touched on how the sport is played. "This is very similar to rugby minus the tackle, touch football is played by six players a side and a game has a duration of 40 minutes, 20 minutes per half," he explained.
Aside from their stint five years ago, the Nationals also participated in the 2015 edition of the World Cup. The mixed open team finished 9th and the women's open team placed 12th in the 2015 edition held in Australia, while the men's open squad finished at sixth and the women's open at 15th in 2019 in Malaysia. Australia and New Zealand, from whose region the sport originated, are among the top countries in the sport. The Philippines is considered the second strongest team in Southeast Asia second to Singapore. "This is a very welcoming sport, we get a lot of support from Filipino-Australian rugby players, the Volcanoes (Philippine Rugby Team), in terms of training," said Touch Pilipinas chairman Colin Steley.
This is why there are high hopes for the Philippine team to do well in England, but women's team member Pauline Fernandez bared that they are still in search of support for their expenses that would cost at least $7,000 per player. "On behalf of Touch Pilipinas we ask for your support in growing the game," she said of the sport that they are also hoping to be included in the Palarong Pambansa, Batang Pinoy, and the Philippine National Games.
The games will be held from July 15-21 at the University of Nottingham in England.
Source: news.abs-cbn.com
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