So represents Phl in Universiade 2013

The Philippines’ gold medal bid in the 27th Summer Universiade gained ground recently with the confirmation of Grandmaster Wesley So to play in the chess event of the biennial conclave, dubbed the Olympics of Universities, set July 6-17, 2013 in Kazan, Republic of Tatarstan, Russia.

“I’m looking forward to play in the 27th Summer Universiade for the first time and represent the country again,” said So in an e-mail message from Webster University in St. Louis, Missouri where he is currently enrolled as a freshman.

So, now a member of the “Magnificent 8” of SPICE, said no less than four-time women’s world champion Susan Polgar has given him the green light to play and represent the country in the Kazan Universiade.

Federation of School Sports Association of the Philippines (FESSAP) president David Ong and Philippine delegation chef de mission Antonio Tiu welcomed the addition of So to the Philippine delegation to the Universiade.

“It’s a big honor for all of us. His entry is a tremendous boost to the Philippine delegation to the Universiade,” said Ong when informed about So’s decision to represent the country.

So’s formal confirmation came after the country, thru FESSAP, was officialy admitted by the Federation Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU) as one of the participating countries in the Universiade.

The admission was relayed in a formal communication sent to FESSAP by FISU from its headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

In Kazan, So is expected to play against the world’s leading university players.

“Being a world power in chess, Russia is expected to field its best university players in Kazan,” said Ong.

A FESSAP official said host countries in the Universiade usually do everything to excel in sports where they are traditionally strong.

This was evident during the 2011 Shenzhen Universiade where GM Li Chao of China topped the chess competition.

In Kazan, the Philippines will participate in at least 11 sports -- 10 compulsory and one optional -- in the two-week sports and cultural festival.

The 11 sports to be participated in by the Filipinos are athletics, archery, badminton, basketball, beach volleyball, chess, fencing, swimming, table tennis, tennis and weightlifting.

Last year, the Philippines brought home a silver medal in taekwondo, courtesy of Samuel Thomas Morrison of Far Eastern University, in Shenzhen, China.

The 21-year-old Morrison, who rose to prominence by winning the gold medal in the 2010 Korea Open, swept his first four assignments before losing, 5-9, to Kim Hun of South Korea in their gold medal match in the men’s -68 kg event

Morrison reached the final by winning over Wendell Grouby of US Virgin Islands by withdrawal in the round of 32, Christopher Dubois of France, 13-10, in the round-of-16, Almas Mukamanov of Kazakhstan, 10-2, in the quarterfinal, and Idulio Islas of Mexico, 5-4, in the semifinal.

Taekwondo, however, is not included in Kazan.