MANILA, Philippines — The Philippine National Karate team is currently training overseas in preparation for the 30th Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) as well as the Olympic qualifying tournaments for next year’s Tokyo Olympic Games.

The Philippine Sports Commission sent the karatedo squad abroad for a two-month international training and exposure to ensure their good performances in the SEA Games and the Olympic qualifying tournaments.

The National Kumite Team has been training in Turkey since last month under Turkish Coach Okay Arpa and will be back by October 30 in time for peaking and the last stages of training preparations for the biennial games on November 30 to December 11.

The national Kata team has also been training in Japan since last month and will also be back November in time for the SEA Games.

“The PSC has extensively supported our athletes’ training, both at home and overseas,” PSC Chairman William Ramirez said.

“We are not dropping our chances. Athletes should get their training and exposure,” he further added.

Jamie Lim, a mathematics summa cum laude graduate of the University of the Philippines and the daughter of Philippine Basketball Association legend Samboy Lim, is among those being picked as a potential SEA Games gold medal winner.

Lim won the gold in the -68kgs Kumite in recently concluded 2019 Amator Spor Haftasi Karate Championship in Sakarya, Turkey which is a very good indication of her possible domination in her weight class in the SEA Games, along with Filipino-American Jone Orbin and Filipino-Japanese Junna Tsukii and Sheriff Afif.

Other medal hopefuls include Miyuki Tacay, Rexor Tacay, Ivan Agustin, Mae Soriano, prince Alejo, Sharief Alejo and Eugene Dagohoy.

Karate Pilipinas President Richard Lim said that the SEA Games-bound Philippine Karate team is right on track with its training.

He also believes that Fil-Am karateka Jone Orbon and Filipino-Japanese Junna Tsukii have very good chances of qualifying in next year’s Tokyo Olympiad where Karate will be played for the first time as a regular sport. (LO/IAmigo/CNS)