Niños eyeing globally competitive athletes

All silvers won in this year’s Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) meet must be converted to golds when the annual meet pitting the top elementary and secondary athletes shifts to Tagbilaran, Bohol next year.

This is what the Cebu City Niños are looking to accomplish as they search for “globally competitive athletes” starting this Saturday in the 27th Cebu City Olympics.

Winners in the City Olympics will represent Ceby City in the CVIRAA meet scheduled in February 2018.

Although the Niños dominated this year’s CVIRAA held in Naga amassing 143 golds, 59 silvers and 69 bronze medals, schools division superintendent Bianito Dagatan told reporters that they are looking to develop more young athletes, especially after the region’s ninth-place finish in the Palarong Pambansa held in Antique earlier this year.

“We will look for athletes not only good for Cebu City Olympics, but can compete in regional, national and international; athletes who are globally competitive. We will aim for golds, and all silvers must be converted to golds in the CVIRAA,” Dagatan said.

This year’s edition of the City Olympics will also make erstwhile demo sports such as futsal, wushu, wrestling, pencak silat and 3×3 basketball as competitive sports that will be included in the medal count. Gymnastics and dancesport will remain as demo sports.

The opening ceremony is scheduled on Monday at 2 p.m. in the Cebu City Sports Center but some of the sporting disciplines such as taekwondo and karatedo will start this Saturday in Robinsons Galleria Cebu while basketball and wrestling will get underway on Sunday.