The Philippines reflects on past games and hopes for future success
The Philippines ambassador to China hopes the Asian games will further strengthen ties between the two nations and promises that his country will field a team that is lean but mean.
The two nations developed contacts through trade hundreds of years ago and this year they celebrate 35 years of official diplomatic relations. Now the games can play a role in developing the relationship. "We hope that our participation in the Asian games in Guangzhou will further strengthen our ties with the Chinese people," Francisco L. Benidicto, the Philippines ambassador to China, told China Daily.
The ambassador was a teenager when the Philippines hosted the 2nd Asian Games in 1954. "I remember feeling excited, not only about the games itself, but also about the idea of all these world class foreign athletes coming to the Philippines."
