Wushu artists won’t march

JAKARTA, Indonesia — The entire national wushu team will skip the 18th Asian Games opening ceremonies here on Saturday to focus on the competitions at the Jakarta International Expo, according to national sanda (sparring) head coach Jessie Aligaga.

Among those affected are 2014 Incheon Asian Games silver medalist Daniel Parantac and Agatha Krystenzen Wong, who bagged a gold and silver medal in taolu (forms) at the 2017 Malaysia Southeast Asian Games in Kuala Lumpur last year.

A SEA Games gold medalist in the 2013 edition held in Myanmar, Aligaga cited the case of Jean Claude Saclag, an Incheon 2004 Asiad silver medalist, who went down to 48 kilos from his former 52-kilogram class so he could see action here.

Making her Asian Games debut is Wong, 21, a 2016 world junior champion in taolu, who said that she did not regret not being part of the inaugural ceremonies.