PHILIPPINES RESUMES ASEAN SPORTS AND FAMILY DAY TRADITION IN GENEVA

GENEVA, 26 September 2024 – After four years since it was last held, the Philippines resumes the tradition of the annual ASEAN Sports and Family Day (ASFD) in Geneva on 21 September 2024 in Campagne du Jonc et Terrain, Geneva. Organized by the Permanent Missions of the Philippines in Geneva, the event was attended by over 500 diplomats and their families from the Permanent Missions of Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. The Permanent Mission of Timor Leste also participated in the ASFD for the first time. The previous ASFD was held in 2019 and its succeeding iteration was put on hold due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his opening remarks, Philippine Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization, Ambassador Manuel A.J. Teehankee joyfully welcomed all the participants and stated that “like any family, ASEAN is built on shared values, mutual support, and a commitment to each other’s well-being.” He further highlighted that despite the differences in backgrounds, languages, and customs among ASEAN member states, they strengthen and add “vibrancy, color and richness to the bonds that unite” ASEAN.

Ambassador Latsamy Keomany of the Permanent Mission of Lao PDR to the United Nations in Geneva, in his remarks as the current Chair of the ASEAN Committee in Geneva, encouraged the active participation of the attendees and to keep in mind the spirit of sportsmanship.

The representatives from all the Permanent Missions actively participated in various sports and games prepared for the day. The participants also enjoyed the cultural and musical performances from the Philippines, Vietnam, and Indonesia, as well as the exchange of traditional ASEAN and Timorese dishes.

Ambassador Kristine Leilani Salle, Deputy Permanent Representative of the Philippine Permanent Mission to the UN, expressed gratitude to all the participants for making the 2024 ASEAN Sports and Family Day a success. She highlighted the celebration of togetherness, cultural diversity, community, and family, all of which define the ASEAN region.

Before the ASFD 2024 concluded, Ambassador Salle handed over the ASEAN glass plaque to Ms. Zhiping Lin, Chargé d’Affaires of the Permanent Mission of Singapore to the UN in Geneva, to symbolize the turnover to Singapore of the coordination for the ASEAN Sports and Family Day in 2025. END