NAG-UWI ng 2 ginto, 1 pilak at 1 tanso ang Cobra-PDBF Elite Team sa kauna-unahang IDBF Dragon Boat World Cup sa Fuzhou, China na nilahukan din ng Russia, Germany, Hong Kong, US, Canada at China. Nagtapos sa ikalawang puwesto ang Pilipinas sa likod ng China sa overall standings. Bagamat hindi kinikilala ng Philippine Olympic Committee at Philippine Sports Commission, nagawa pa rin ng Cobra-PDBF Elite Team na ipakita ang tunay na galing at determinasyon ng Pilipinong atleta. Sa isang eksklusibong panayam kay PDBF president Marcia Cristobal, ikinuwento niya kay Bandera correspondent Eric Dimzon ang pinagdaanan ng koponan upang makapagbigay ng karangalan sa bansa sa IDBF World Cup.
Paano pinaghandaan ng iyong koponan ang World Cup?
Focus sa training at maraming sacrifices. Minsan naaawa nga ako kasi wala naman kaming maibigay sa paddlers financially. Kung ano lang ang meron, okay na sa kanila during training. Talagang from the very start alam nila ang financial status ng PDBF but inspite of that, nagtuloy pa rin sila. Mga tunay silang atleta at Pilipino. Ang gusto lang nila ay kumarera at itayo ang bansang Pilipinas sa larangan ng dragon boat. Halos one month lang ang training nila.
Inasahan mo bang lalaban ng husto ang team na ito?
Nakita ko na sa kanila that they have the heart and determination kaya bilang pangulo ng PDBF, I didn’t hesitate to find ways for us to be able to join the World Cup. We are just so thankful that Cobra was always there to support us.
We hope that our victory might serve as an inspiration at magsilbing daan para ang lahat ay magtagumpay. We hope that Filipinos believe in themselves para manalo. Kailangan lang ang focus sa ensayo and the heart to pursue your goal. And of course to believe in the power of prayers.
Naging sapat ba ang suporta na natanggap ng team sa pagsabak nito sa World Cup?
Support from the government, wala. I even applied for travel tax exemption for the team but it was declined by PSC. Gumastos kami ng mahigit na P160,000 para sa sinalihan naming mga tournaments sa Singapore, Macau at World Cup sa China para lang sa travel tax at terminal fee.
Sa iyong palagay, papansinin na ba ng Philippine Sports Commission at Philippine Olympic Committee ang tagumpay ng team?
I don’t expect good things from both PSC and POC at this point in time. I hope in time, they will realize our worth as a national team and will reinstate the PDBF as an NSA.
Umaasa ka ba na bibigyan ng parangal ang koponan ng Malacañang, Senado o Kongreso?
Sa Malacañang, sana. Di ko lang alam sa Senate at Congress. We hope that they will treat us just like how they treated us during the 2011 World Championships.
Umaasa ka bang maging national sports association muli ang PDBF?
Sana ma-reinstate ang PDBF because we really deserve to be the governing body of dragon boat in the country.
Sinu-sino ang mga nais mong pasalamatan sa tagumpay na ito?
God above all. Cobra Energy Drink Management for being with us always since 2009. Gold’s Gym. The late head coach of PDBF, Mr. Nestor Ilagan. PDBF officers and club teams. The AFP for granting our request. The athletes, na naniniwala sa pinaglalaban ng PDBF. And of course, our media friends.
Ano ang susunod para sa Cobra-PDBF Elite Team?
We intend to join the 12th IDBF World Championships in Ontario, Canada on August 2015. But prior to this main event next year, I hope we can have at least two to three international competitions.
Before the year ends, we might join the 2014 Busan Korea International Championship on October 7-13, 2014.
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