The Philippines has become one of the major venues for beach sports as more than 500 athletes and thousands of spectators took part in the summer’s biggest sports event at the Philippine Beach Games 2019 in Lingayen Beach, Pangasinan.
The picturesque town of Lingayen served as the perfect backdrop as top pro and amateur athletes from the Philippines and all over the world flocked to Lingayen, Pangasinan to compete and showcase their talent in eleven popular beach sports including Beach Volleyball, Beach Football, Beach Ultimate Frisbee, Beach Rugby and Beach Flag Football.
Billed as a launchpad for the rapidly growing beach sports scene in the Philippines, the PBG sought to raise awareness about beach sports among Filipinos in order to get more athletes involved in sports and competitions where Pinoys can be highly competitive against the world’s best. Competing alongside and against international athletes, Filipino athletes and teams dominated in most of the competitions and bagged the most awards proving that we Pinoys would indeed be competitive at the world stage.
Aside from the intense competition in the playing grounds, the 3-day event also entertained the Lingayen crowd with off-the-field activities and festivities. To encourage adoption of beach sports, the event’s featured athletes conducted free sports clinics for kids during the afternoon teaching rules, basic drills and even doing simple scrimmage sessions where newbies can truly be immersed in the game. The event’s festivities continued to the night where beach parties and jam sessions saw athletes and fans mingling and having a great time together.
“Although PBG’s main focus is in the sports competitions and showcasing the most talented athletes in the world, we also want to create a more relaxed and festive sports event with other activities that fits well with our beautiful beach backdrop.” said JP Demontaño, the lead organizer for PBG.
With the success of this year’s event, the Philippine Beach Games will return next year for a more action-packed line-up of sports and athletes to strengthen its place as a top Filipino sports event. More fan-friendly experiences will also be added including music festivals, parties and entertainment to complete this truly unique summer spectacle. Whatever happens next year, Philippine Beach Games 2019 and its organizers are happy that it has achieved its goal this year to serve as a springboard to take Pinoy beach sports to the global level.
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