Venues are ready

The venues for the upcoming 5th Milo Little Olympics National Finals are already prepared to host the prestigious annual multi-sporting competition for secondary and elementary athletes.

According to Danny Villadolid, one of the organizers of the event, only the materials and equipment needed by the different tournament managers of the 14 sporting events have yet to be furnished. But as far as the venues are concerned, they are 100 percent ready.

“Ang venues okay na,” Villadolid said. “Sa equipment and materials, mga tournament managers na ang mo submit sa ilang respective requests ngadto sa Philippine Sports Commission (PSC)-Region 7 office alang sa ilang kinahanglanon sa pag stage sa mga competitions.”

The competitions that will be held at the Cebu City Sports Center for the three-day event expected to gather around 1,600 athletes are gymnastics, athletics, chess, scrabble, swimming and table tennis.

Those that will be held at the Metrosports-Lahug are badminton, sipa and sepak takraw while the Sacred Heart School-Ateneo de Cebu will host events in basketball, football, taekwondo and volleyball.

Lawn tennis matches in the elementary and secondary divisions are to be held simultaneously at Baseline and at the Alta Vista Golf and Country Club tennis courts.

The multi-sports event will formally kick off on Oct. 25 with the top honchos of Philippine sports expected to converge for the formal opening.

Host city’s chief organizer Ricky Ballesteros earlier informed Cebu Daily News that they have already invited Department of Education (DepEd) Secretary Bro. Armin Luistro, PSC chairman Richie Garcia and Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) head Peping Cojuangco to grace the opening of the event.

The delegates are expected to land in Cebu City on the 24th and they will be billeted at the Sarrosa International Hotel and Residential Suites.

Ballesteros earlier said that he believes the host team will win the overall title this year. Team Visayas failed to regain the plum in the national finals last year, losing it to the National Capital Region in Marikina City.