The Malaysian Traditional Archery team emerged as champions at the recent Panaan Games ’23 Historical Archery Festival held in Bayawan City from May 12 – 14, 2023. The event saw participation from Malaysia and all over the Philippines. Hosted by the Historical Archers Philippines and supported by the Bayawan City Local Government Unit, the games featured three events – classical historical shooting, Mandirigma dynamic shooting, and long-distance shooting – with individual and team categories for each discipline.
The Panaan Games ’23 Historical Archery Festival was a two-day event that celebrated the rich culture and history of archery in the Philippines. The festival features a variety of archery competitions that showcase the skills of Filipino archers, as well as those from Malaysia. These competitions include competitive traditional archery games and other archery-related activities. The festival also includes a variety of cultural shows, music performances, and other fun activities for visitors to enjoy.
“We are thrilled to host the Panaan Games ’23 Historical Archery Festival in Bayawan City this year,” said HON. Mark Fidencio L. Aurelia, Bayawan City City Councilor . “It’s a great opportunity for us to showcase our beautiful city and its rich cultural heritage. We look forward to welcoming archers from all over the Philippines and Malaysia, and all guests to our city during this exciting event.”
The festival saw fierce competition between archers from Malaysia and the Philippines, with archers of all ages and backgrounds competing for the top prizes. It was a great opportunity for archers from different countries to come together, share their skills, and learn from each other. The event provides a platform for archers to showcase their skills and experience unique archery competitions that are only found in the Philippines.
“The Panaan Games ’23 Historical Archery Festival is a long-awaited event for historical archers in the Philippines, and we are honored with the support given,” said Christopher Paras from Manila.
Champion of Panaan Games ‘23, Haji Ismail Ab Kadir (61 years old) from Malaysia said, “I am honored to have had the opportunity to compete in this event despite my age. It was truly challenging and praise be to god, I managed to do my best and emerge triumphant.”.
Anuar Matsaat, Southeast Asian Historical Archery Ambassador of the HDH-International Archery Association said, “History was made here at the Panaan Games where Malaysian and Filipino archers banded together for the love of traditional archery. We will strive to promote the sport within Southeast Asia and god willing, we may see world champions emerging from the Philippines and Malaysia. A new industry for traditional archery can be forged from our collaboration and unity and it can start here, in Bayawan City.”.