Angara pushes for inclusion of darts as regular sports

PALO, Leyte, April 20  -- Senator Juan Edgardo Angara is pushing for the inclusion of darts as a regular sports in the country, saying that it is comparable to other games that require skills, discipline and precision.

Angara was here Thursday as one of the guests of honor during the opening of the 1st Philippine Open 2018 International Darts Tournament, a gathering of darters from 16 countries at the Leyte Academic Center in this town.

“I am throwing my full support to efforts to make darts as a part of sports competition here and abroad, particularly in the upcoming ASEAN games” Angara said.

Angara believes that darts is a sport wherein Filipinos could excel, citing the international achievements in the past of the local darters like Melvin Kent Pelona and Lovely Mae Orbeta who won the Selangor 2018 Dart championship organized by the Malaysia Dart Association last February.

Laurence Ilagan clinched the top spot from compatriot Christian Perez during the 2013 Soft Darts Championship in Hong Kong and Filipino-Austrian National Championships in 2010.

“Darts demands skills, precision, discipline and maybe enough athleticism to be considered a full pledged sport. It’s a game that anybody can play as long as they can throw an arrow” said Angara, vice chair of the Senate sports committee.

Angara also expressed hope that that the 1st Philippine Open-international Darts Tournament would set the stage for more international competitions in the country.

“Now is the time for the rest of the world to know that not only Filipinos know how to play a good game of darts, they also know how to host world-class tournaments” Angara added.

The tournament hosted by Leyte has attracted participants from the US, Canada, Singapore, HongKong, South Korea, Thailand, Malaysia, Croatia, Poland, Autstria, England, France, Indonesia and Brunei. (LAAA/PNA)