Lawrence Casiraya
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines –More than 600 intellectually disabled athletes will gather in Lingayen, Pangasinan next month for the four-day national Special Olympics.

This year’s games serves as a prelude to the next World Special Olympics to be held in Athens, Greece.

Special Olympics Philippines (SOP), a non-profit organization that started in 1978, conducts these national games every two years.

In the most recent Special Olympics held in Shanghai, China in 2007 or a year before the Beijing Summer Olympics, a team of 40 athletes represented the country and won a total 52 medals, nine of them gold.

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By Esther Misa Chavez

Oakland– Thousands of Filipinos from the Bay Area showed up to give their support to the second Filipino Heritage Night during the Golden State Warriors vs. Portland Trail Blazers game at the Oracle Arena.

Some Filipinos bought special tickets and wore their dark blue commemorative, while some well-heeled Pinoys shelled out $150 to be at the VIP lounge. Portions of the revenue benefited Filipino American non-profit organizations.

Filipino heritage was showcased before and during the ball game, starting with a martial arts performance from the Kamatuuran School of Kalijin under Joseph Arriola. Philippine flags and Filipino sports and martial arts memorabilia were also on display and for sale.

A quartet called “Pinay” composed of UC Berkeley alumnae sang the American anthem accapela and dancers from the Likha Pilipino Folk Ensemble under Herna Cruz, were on center court during one of the time-outs dancing the Tinikling while the Warriors and Trail Blazers huddled around their respective coaches for the next game play.

Needless to say, the Warriors led most of the game and won 105-98 over Trail Blazers.

Franco Finn, the official Warriors “hype man” kept the crowds entertained with constant announcements of freebies and contests, as he tied the whole Pinoy Heritage Night into one great fun experience.

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Agence France-Presse

COLORADO SPRINGS–USA Swimming suspended Olympic superstar Michael Phelps for three months on Thursday, a “reprimand” after a published photograph showed him apparently smoking marijuana.

The national governing body of the sport stressed that the punishment was not for a doping violation, but said they wanted to send a “strong message” to Phelps about his status as a role model for young people.

“USA Swimming has reprimanded Michael Phelps uner its Code of Conduct by withdrawing financial support and the eligibility to compete for a period of three months effective today, February 5,” a statement from USA Swimming said.

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THE Golden State Warriors are holding Filipino Heritage Night #2 on Thursday, February 12 against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Oracle Arena , which will start at 7:30 p.m., the team has announced.

The first Filipino Heritage Night, which drew over 2,500 fans and created the demand for the upcoming event, was held last November 21 against the Chicago Bulls.

As part of the evening, Filipino cultural elements will be on display, including a Filipino cultural performance on-court prior to the game.

Fans can purchase a special discounted Filipino Heritage Night ticket for $30 (with additional savings available for groups of 20-or-more), which includes a seat in the Filipino Heritage Night section and a limited edition Filipino Heritage Night t-shirt.

A portion of each ticket sold as part of the Filipino Heritage Night package will be donated to Bay Area Filipino non-profit organizations.

For more information on the Golden State Warriors, log on to www.warriors.com.

UPDATE: After 13 rounds, Filipino Grandmaster Wesley So emerges as the champion in the Group C of the Corus Chess tournament in the Netherlands.

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After 12 rounds, Filipino Grandmaster Wesley So finishes on top of Group C of the Corus Chess tournament in Wijk aan Zee, the Netherlands.

According to the Corus Chess website, So has earned a total of 9 points, making him the number one contender in Group C.

This Filipino teen sensation has been competing in the Corus Chess tournament, which started January 16 and ended on February 1.

Based on the Corus Chess website, the standings are as follows: So with 9 points; Anish Giri with 8; Tiger Hillarp Persson with 7½; David Howell with 7; Abhijeet Gupta with 6½; Frank Holzke with 6; Frisco Nijboer, Dronavalli Harika, Manuel Bosboom, and Roeland Pruijssers all with 5½; Manuel Leon Hoyos with 5; Eduardo Iturrizaga and Ali Bitalzadeh with 4½; and finally Oleg Romanishin with 4.

You can watch the games here.

Thanks to readers Bobby Echeverria and Patrick So for the heads up.

UPDATE: Various reports posted on Pacland, a website dedicated to Manny Pacquiao, indicates that the fight is on.

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By Cedelf P. Tupas
Philippine Daily Inquirer

MANILA, Philippines — A day after promoters declared the fight has been called off after an impasse over the prize money, Filipino icon Manny Pacquiao has agreed to accept the offer to fight British superstar Ricky Hatton on May 2, a report on philboxing.com said.

The report quoting Pacquiao’s close friend and confidante Rex “Wakee” Salud said the Filipino idol was convinced when told that he would receive a $12 million guarantee and 52 percent of the pay-per-view shares.

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INQUIRER.net

GEN. TRIAS, Cavite - Abe Avena of Mt. Malarayat reached the semifinals for the third time in as many years by making short work of his power hitting Korean foe Dong Kyun Goh of Lake Caliraya in the men’s division even as Carmela Lee of Ayala Greenfield shocked ladies top seed Grace Atienza in the fourth National Tournament of Club Champions (NTCC) at the Eagle Ridge Golf and Country Club here.

Avena, a losing semifinalist in all his three stints here, used his accuracy to handle the brute force of the muscular Goh, taking a 3-up lead at the turn en route to a 5&4 victory that earned him a shot at the No. 1 ranked Chino Raymundo of Valley in the Final Four on Friday.

Raymundo got a free ride into the semis when his opponent Tootsie de Jesus of Tagaytay Highlands failed to show up due to an earlier commitment he made with a business partner for a member-guest tourney.

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By Agence France-Presse

MANILA–A planned May 2 showdown between Britain’s Ricky Hatton and Philippines star Manny Pacquiao has been called off after two of the sport’s top draws failed to agree on how to split the purse.

“Basically, the two camps could not agree on the purse,” Pacquiao aide Jeng Gacal told reporters in Manila on Thursday of the reported 24-million-dollar kitty for what had been billed as one of the biggest fights in years.

Pacquiao, the WBC lightweight champion considered the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet, let a Wednesday night Hatton deadline lapse on the Briton’s final offer of a 52-48 split in the Filipino’s favour.

“Manny did not sign it,” Gacal added, confirming earlier reports the mega fight, scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, was off.

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By Agence France-Presse

LOS ANGELES–If Kobe Bryant was looking for an added challenge against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers, then the Los Angeles Lakers superstar got more than he bargained for.

Playing through the pain of dislocated right ring finger, Bryant had 20 points, 12 assists and a half dozen rebounds in the Lakers 105-88 win over Cleveland at Staples Center arena.

Bryant sustained a dislocated finger in the opening minutes of the first quarter of Monday’s game as the Lakers finally beat Cleveland after failing in their previous five attempts.

“My teammates looked at it and looked away,” Bryant said of the injury. “No fun.”

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By Cedelf P. Tupas
Philippine Daily Inquirer

BACOLOD CITY, Philippines—Manny Pacquiao on Saturday rejected a fresh proposal for a 52-48 revenue sharing with British superstar Ricky Hatton in their 140-lb battle in May.

And the latest twist in the negotiations could open the door for Floyd Mayweather Jr., whose handlers, Pacquiao disclosed, have been communicating with his camp for a possible match that could lure the former pound-for-pound king out of his retirement.

But Pacquiao isn’t about to give up on the Hatton fight just yet.

“Kita mo, nagbago din sila (You see, they changed their minds),” Pacquiao said with a laugh as if to stress that he is still the draw in this planned super fight pitting the world’s top pound-for-pound fighter against the king of the junior welterweight division.

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