The first ever Philippine Delegation to the World Kendo Championships (WKC) ends their campaign on a positive note by earning wins in all categories, though not enough (for the most part) to advance beyond the round-robin stage.

The 19th WKC was held from July 4-7 in the UniPol Forum in Assago, Milan, Italy. Categories of the tournament were Women's Individuals, Women's 5 Person Team, Men's Individuals, and Men's 5 Person Team. As expected, Japan (the country of origin for Kendo) dominated all categories, earning all the podium finishes (3rd to 1st) in both Women and Men's Individuals, and 1st place in both Women & Men's Teams.

The Philippines had been preparing for this event since mid-2023, under the 

management of Kristopher Inting (Delegation Leader & Overall Manager). Training was conducted under a group of Japanese expats based in the Philippines:

Akita Tomoyuki - Head Coach

Esaki Yuta - Men's Coach

Fukunaga Shigeyuki - Men's Coach

Shingaki Keitai - Women's Coach

Itoh Masamichi - Women's Coach

The team itself was composed of shiaisha (kendo athletes) drawn from all over the Philippines and even from outside the country:

Women Shiaisha

Loida Estanilla-Inting (Women's Team Captain) - Rizal

Xylia Teresa Alzate - Davao

Melduen Castillon - Based in Singapore

Verna Chiongbian - NCR

Fides Janelle Desacada-Tatlonghari - NCR

Reida-Jade Renovilla - Davao

Denise Verastigue-Gonzales - Based in USA

Men Shiaisha

Paul Minoza (Men's Team Captain) - Cebu

Matthew Arce - NCR

Steven Paul Canete - Cebu

Inoue Yuta - Based in Japan

Ralph Chester Lee - NCR

Michael Logarta - Cebu

Emerson Sychingiok - NCR

Elvin Villarama - NCR

Overall, the performance of the Philippines could be considered surprisingly well as first-time participants in the WKC. In the Women's Individuals, Melduen Castillon broke out of the round-robin stage into the final 32 but was eliminated by Van Laecken of Belgium. The Women's Team also handily defeated Portugal but lost to host Italy. The Men's Team earned a narrow victory against Finland but lost to Great Britain.

While the delegation is satisfied with the results, they also identified key points for improvement that they will work on. Hopefully this will result in better results in the 20th WKC, which will be held in 2027 in Tokyo, Japan.

After the tournament proper, there was a shinsa (kendo grading) where Ralph Chester Lee was able to pass his 4Dan, so congratulations to him!  Also, on July 10 members of the delegation (Inting, Estanilla-Inting, and Alzate) visited the Philippine Consulate General in Milan on a courtesy visit to the Consul General Elmer Gozun Cato.

*Photo images by Kendo Photography