Philippines hosts Asian Cycling Confederation Track Championships

TAGAYTAY CITY — Philippine cycling is literally back on track on the Asian map.

It came to be after the 45th Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC) Track Championships was unveiled on Wednesday at the Tagaytay City Velodrome, which will be the country’s first staging since it hosted this same event 31 years ago at the now demolished Amoranto Sports Complex track.

“Welcome to the Asian Cycling Track Championships. After 31 years, we’re back on track and this is a dream come true,” said PhilCycling President Abraham N. Tolentino during Wednesday’s opening ceremony of this week-long meet.

Also simultaneously being hosted is the 14th Asian Para Track Cycling Championships.

Also present in the inaugurals were ACC head Dato’ Amarjit Singh Gill, Philippine Sports Commission Chair Patrick C. Gregorio and commissioners Walter Torres and Ed Hayco, host Mayor Brent Tolentino, Vice-Mayor Agnes Tolentino, and former Cavite Governor Athena Tolentino.

Mr. Tolentino toned down expectations of how the Filipino cyclists would perform since the national track team has just been recently revived.

“I don’t expect medals since we’re literally back to zero,” he said.

The Philippine Olympic Committee chief, however, said this event and the new track should spur a great revival of the sport that produced three-time Southeast Asian Games gold winner Alfie Catalan decades back.

Cycling notes: Mr. Tolentino said Iran, Qatar and Mongolia have backed out with the former two because of the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. “Saudi Arabia and UAE (United Arab Emirates), however, are here but I wasn’t able to ask how they managed to get here,” he said. — Joey Villar