THE PHILIPPINE Team will have a tough schedule in the Asia/Oceania Olympic Qualifier as the Blu Girls play a double header in the first three days of the tournament that begins on Feb. 1 at the Tainan Municipal Softball Stadium in Tainan City, Taiwan.
The Blu Girls will face Singapore in the opening before taking the fancied South Korea in the afternoon match.
Having beaten the Singaporeans in the 2005 Manila SEA Games, the Blu Girls are confident to hurdle their first assignment without much trouble.
But against the South Koreans, the Blu Girls have to connect well and play tough defense to have a fair chance of winning.
"Nakapaglaro kasi sila sa Doha Asian Games last December so malamang nasa competitive level pa sila. Pero kumpiyansa kami na itong laro against Singapore and South Korea will serve as our warm up games para sa mas matitinding kalaban," said coach Aleli Nabong added.
Nabong is much worried against the teams from North Korea, New Zealand and the host country.
The Blu Girls battle the Koreans in the morning match on Feb. 2 and then face the powerhouse New Zealand in the afternoon.
The Kiwis are hoping to reclaim their status as the world’s best softball country.
The winning team will join Australia, Canada, Japan, China and the United States in next year’s Beijing Olympic Games.
Two more qualifying events, the Africa/Europe in June and the Americas in August will determine which teams will compete in what is probably the last softball tournament in Olympics.
"Softball will not be played at the 2012 Olympics in London. There is also no guarantee, as well that it will return in 2016. So the stakes are really high for the 2008 Olympics," said assistant coach Kiko Diaz.
As to the chances of winning the tournament, Amateur Softball Association of the Philippines (ASAPHIL) President, Jean Henri Lhuillier, expressed full confidence of pulling off a surprise.
"This team is composed of the core team that gave us the gold in the last SEA games. A rigid training program and a complementary nutritional program has been in place for our Blu Girls since last year to prepare them for this," said Lhuillier.
The Blu Girls are composed of Heidilyn Arca, Corazon Sobere, Babette Ramos, Joy Lasquite, Dione Macasu, Belen Ramirez Asok, Heide Bonggas, Gina Salvador, Esmeralda Tayag, Elaine Caladiao Bacarisas, Nimfa Baral, Janet Vallite, Nelia Lara and rookies Loulou Maganda, Ayesa Arceo, Karen Aribal and Joy Daquiado.
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