The Philippines is proud to announce that they will be hosting the 6th Annual ASEAN Schools Games (ASG) in December 2014. The country will also be hosting the ASG Golf Tournament in November 2013. The acronym ASEAN stands for Association of South East Asian Nations.
ASG is a popular annual sports tournament that aims to enhance friendship among students in all of the Southeast Asian countries.
These countries include the Philippines, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Brunei, Laos, Vietnam, and Thailand.The games also aim to promote solidarity among the youth through school sports, and provide an opportunity for school athletes to engage in productive cultural exchange. The competitions held include: track and field, swimming, basketball, badminton, gymnastics, table tennis (ping pong), and volleyball. They also have competitions for sepaktakraw (kick volleyball) and pencak silat (martial arts).
Previously, the ASEAN Schools Games were held in other countries. For example, in 2012, it was held in Indonesia, and last year in 2013, it was held in Vietnam. The first competition in 2009 was organized by and held in in the country of Thailand.
Last year in Vietnam, Filipinos brought home three bronze medals - one in the boys’ javelin throw, one in girls’ basketball, and another in boys’ volleyball. However, overall, the Philippines ended up dead last with a 0-0-3 final score. Vietnam claimed the overall title with a score of 50-27-23.