SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
CEBU, Philippines – Preparations for the annual Palarong Pambansa to be held in Cebu City are now in full swing and officials are confident that athletes will be greeted with a variety of fun activities and unique perks.
“We are very much prepared and we will make sure that our preparations will lead to a successful hosting of the Palaro,” acting Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia told reporters on Friday, June 28.
Based on the finalized schedule, the national sports event will be held in the first half of July, with the opening ceremony set on July 9 and the closing ceremony on July 16. The competition proper will be from July 11 to 15.
Delegates will arrive between July 1 to 5, and will join a welcome dinner on July 7. The Palarong Pambansa also includes a grand athletes parade along Osmeña Boulevard heading to the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) on July 9.
The city government has also prepared a hosting of the Palaro ng Lahi, a showcase competition of traditional Filipino games, at the G Mall of Cebu on July 10 and a series of tours to Cebu’s heritage structures, museums and galleries on July 12 and 16.
According to Garcia, the city is expecting around 25,000 visitors, which include officials, school representatives, athletes and their family members.
Adolf Aguilar, the assistant schools division superintendent of Cebu City, said during a press conference that it will also be the first time that the Palarong Pambansa will see delegates from the National Academy of Sports and the Philippine Schools from Overseas.
This brings the total number of participating delegates from across the country to 19.
Another first for the Palarong Pambansa, Aguilar said, is the debut of dancesport as a regular sport for the national event.
Venues and quarters
A majority of the playing venues are found within the downtown area of Cebu City. Only the basketball 3×3 will take place at the Hoops Dome in Lapu-Lapu City.
Basketball 5×5 boys secondary division will be held at the University of San Carlos (USC) main campus while the basketball girls secondary division will be at the USC north campus. The basketball 5×5 boys elementary games will be at the University of the Visayas main campus.
All of the volleyball games are going to be at the University of San Jose-Recoletos Basak campus while the athletics events are at the CCSC. Both opening and closing ceremonies will be at CCSC as well.
“The admission for all the venues is free, subject to venue limitations,” Aguilar said.
Aguilar added that there will also be a “mini-hospital” at the CCSC to cater all basic physical therapy needs of all athletes.
Meanwhile, local school board head Kimberly Marie Esmeña told reporters that there are a total of 20 schools that will be utilized as billeting quarters for athletes.
Esmeña stated that they have upgraded the quarters with Wi-Fi connection, hand-washing areas, mosquito nets, portable toilets and baths, renovated drainage systems, and improved lighting.
“We are ready to receive guests,” the local school board head said.
Perks and uniques
According to the organizing committee, there will be a designated athletes lounge located at the CCSC’s badminton area that has free internet connectivity and a variety of food concessionaires.
“This Palaro, we’ll be providing sim cards for athletes, courtesy of DITO Telecoms, that will allow them to have unlimited calls [and texts] to other networks and also 10 gigabytes of data – that’s enough connectivity that will allow our athletes to connect to their parents at home,” Aguilar said.
The city government has also procured special tumblers for athletes to help reduce the amount of waste produced from plastic drinking bottles.
The assistant schools division superintendent mentioned that they will also be launching an app that contains all the information needed about the grand sports event.
The organizing committee said all of the games will be live-streamed on separate Facebook pages dedicated for each of the sports events. – Rappler.com
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.