Elementary and secondary basketball will be added in the roster of events of the 18th Milo Little Olympics Visayas Regional Finals and in the fifth National Finals.
Visayas delegation head and regional finals organizer Ricky Ballesteros bared this yesterday as he expressed confidence that the added events will help Visayas reclaim the national overall crown from archrival National Capitol Region (NCR).
The Regional Finals is slated from August 16, 17, 18, 24 and 25 at the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) while the National Finals will be held in October here.
Ballesteros said that basketball is worth 25 points each in the elementary and secondary divisions. With Palarong Pambansa champions, the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu (SHS-AdC) in the Visayas team, Ballesteros is confident of the Bisdaks’ title chances.
Team Visayas, which won the first three editions of the National Finals before losing it to NCR in Marikina City last year, owns the Milo Perpetual Trophy for the three-peat.
The Bisdaks will host the fifth National Finals from Oct. 25 to 27.
VAUNTED ILONGOS TO SEE ACTION
“The national organizing body decided to include basketball for the first time in 18 years to make the competition more exciting,” said Ballesteros who was awarded by Nestle Philippines along with his organizing team as the “Best Organizers” of the National Finals for two straight years.
Ballesteros also added that Ilo-ilo and Bacolod schools will vie in the Regionals and will field their vaunted booters, tracksters and swimmers who contributed big for Visayas in previous National Finals.
Ballesteros also disclosed that University of Cebu’s narrow overall win in the Regional Finals last year might finally end this year against the University of San Carlos (USC) which has reportedly strengthened its sports programs in the hope of ending UC’s 17-year hold of the secondary division title. USC will compete in all 14 events.
UC nipped USC by a mere 14.5 points last year. The latter though has dominated the elementary division for the past years.
“It was the slimmest margin we have ever recorded. I think USC will emerge champion in the secondary division if UC puts its guards down,” added Ballesteros.
NEW VENUES
For the past years, the annual inter-school multi-sporting event utilizes the facilities of public schools but this year, organizers are tapping universities and private schools to help.
The events to be held at CCSC are track and field, taekwondo, swimming and gymnastics while the basketball event will be at the Cebu Coliseum and Southwestern University’s (SWU) Aznar Gymnasium. Badminton will be at the Metro Sports badminton courts in Lahug and USC South Campus for chess.
Lawn tennis will be at the Alta Vista and Baseline courts while sipa and sepak takraw will be at the Labangon Elementary School gymnasium. Table tennis will be at UC’s table tennis training center.
Volleyball will be at the old SHS-AdC campus in General Maxilom avenue for the elementary division and the University of Southern Philippines-Foundation (USP-F) gymnasium for the secondary division.