Dumaguete City—Games in the annual Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) meet were cancelled yesterday due to typhoon Pablo.
Negros Oriental was placed under signal No. 2 yesterday, forcing officials of the Department of Education Region VII, headed by director Carmelita Dulangon, to postpone the games held in different venues here.
“We, together with the supervisors, decided to officially cancel all the games because of typhoon Pablo. We want to ensure the protection of our athletes,” said Dulangon.
The multi-sporting meet has gathered around 6,000 athletes from the Central Visayas region, including around 400 from the powerhouse Team Cebu City Niños.
The Niños are billeted in Valencia town, around nine kilometers west of Dumaguete City. Cebu City sports coordinator Zenaida Gocotano said the entire team is safe.
“We advised the coaches to let the athletes rest as of the moment until competition continues,” said Gocotanco.
A reliable source also said that Bogo City’s athletes and delegates were transferred to Valencia after authorities said that the river beside the school they were originally billeted in was in danger of overflowing due to the heavy downpour brought by the typhoon.
Meanwhile, Dulangon said they will do their best to finish the event in five days despite the cancellation of yesterday’s games. She said she may add more matches per day to make up for the postponement. She said she will be having another meeting with the supervisors for further plans regarding the matter. She also said coaches were briefed regarding a contingency plan for the safety of the athletes.