^{Ambassador Belinda M. Ante joined by Interior Vice Minister Antonio Armindo (left) and his daughter}

Philippine Ambassador to Timor-Leste Belinda M. Ante appeared as guest speaker at the opening ceremony of the Association of Filipinos in East Timor (AFET) Sports Fest 2023 held on 25 June 2023 at the Gimnasio Desporto Dili (GDD).

Aside from Ambassador Ante, Timor-Leste Interior Vice Minister Antonio Armindo, Philippine Embassy personnel, and representatives from the diplomatic corps, local business community, and Filipino community were present.

During the ceremony, three competitions were held to showcase the creativity of some of the athletes competing in this year’s sports festival, namely Best in Team Uniform, the Zumba Dance Competition, and the Mr. and Mrs. AFET Sports Fest 2023.

In her remarks, Ambassador Ante welcomed the hosting of the sports festival as a way of promoting camaraderie and goodwill among members of the Filipino community in Timor-Leste.

A total of 8 teams have joined this year’s sports festival, which features basketball (men and women), volleyball (men and women), chess (mixed), and darts (men).

The sports festival is the second one organized by AFET since the resumption of the event in 2022. It was suspended in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. END

^{Ambassador Belinda M. Ante (middle) receives a certificate of appreciation from the Association of Filipinos in East Timor-Board of Directors (AFET-BOD) led by AFET President Pearl Amores Leonardo (right).}

 ^{Students from Escola de Gracia, one of the Filipino-run international schools in Dili, perform their routine for the opening prayer of the ceremony.}

^{Members of “One Heart Team” Champion of the Zumba Dance Competition.}