The Go4Less Tri Team finished second in the Club/Team Standard category of the 2019 National Age Group Triathlon (NAGT) held in Naga City, Cebu last Sunday, October 20, 2019. /Mars G. Alison
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The City of Naga in the south of Cebu is certainly establishing itself as a triathlon capital in the province as it will be hosting the prestigious Asian Triathlon Confederation (ASTC) Asian Cup next year.
“By next year, we’re gladly announcing that we won the hosting for the Asian Cup, so probably NAGT (National Age Group Triathlon) Naga will hold the ASTC Asian Cup 2020 sanctioned by the ITU (International Triathlon Union),” said Tonyson Luther Lee.
Lee is the chairman of the Creative Solutions, which is the organizing body of the NAGT here in Cebu and which will also spearhead the organization of the ASTC Asian Cup next year.
With this, elite triathletes from all over Asia are expected to flock to Naga as they are required to compete in the October 13, 2020 slated event for ITU points, added Lee.
This is not the first international triathlon that Naga has hosted though.
Last April, Naga hosted the Sun Life 5150 Cebu which attracted triathletes also coming from outside Asia such as New Zealand and European countries as well.
Also in another development, Lee said that Creative Solutions would also be organizing NAGT’s not just in Cebu but in other areas of the Visayas and Mindanao starting next year.
“As per agreement with TRAP (Triathlon Association of the Philippines), we are the local organizers for NAGT in Cebu, but for next year, we will be holding a NAGT in Mindanao and Visayas,” said Lee.
He added that Creative Solutions got the rights for the NAGT franchise in Visayas and Mindanao.
So aside from the ASTC Asian Cup, Lee said they would be organizing three NAGTs to be hosted by three different municipalities in Cebu, aside from those they would be organizing in Mindanao.
As for last Sunday’s NAGT in Naga, Lee said it was better than last year especially that it gathered more participants.
“Way better than last year. Well, last year was already better and at least this year, feedback came from the athletes. We achieved more than what we did last year in terms of goods, race route, the manpower, safety, emergency everything. And also, the participants grew from 200, now we are 350. So hoping to have more participants next year,” said Lee.
Lee said that as a triathlete himself, he was making sure that in organizing triathlon races, they would do what he expected from organizers every time he would race, and this they would continue to do in next year’s edition of the NAGT.