The New Clark City Sports Complex, which is located in New Clark City in Capas, Tarlac, is described by Olympic marathon runner Mary Joy Tabal as world class. | Photo from Mary Joy Tabal’s Facebook page
CEBU CITY, Philippines — A world-class facility that Filipinos can be proud of.
This is how Cebuano athlete and Olympic marathon runner Mary Joy Tabal described the New Clark City Sports Complex in a Facebook post on Friday, November 22.
Tabal, the 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games Malaysia gold medalist in marathon, said she had goosebumps and felt like she was not in the Philippines the moment she stepped inside the sports complex.
The sports complex will be used for the 30th SEA Games, which will run from November 30 to December 11.
The Philippines is hosting the 30th SEA Games.
Tabal said the sports complex is comparable to that of Singapore.
This is telling for an athlete who competed in the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore, 2017 SEA Games in Malaysia, 2018 Asian Games in Indonesia and the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil
“I thought I will be competing outside Pinas. Something that we, Filipinos, must be proud of,” said Tabal.
Tabal posted several photos of herself and her long-time coach, John Philip Dueñas, outside the sports complex.
The New Clark City Sports Complex houses the Athletics Stadium that has a 20,000-people seating capacity; the Aquatics Center that can accommodate 2,000 people; and an Athletes’ Village that has more than 500 rooms.
“Goosebumps jud ko pag abot gabii. Pagsulod palang then ganiha buntag pagsulod sa Stadium maka-WOW lagi jud ka sa ka nindot. Kahilakon ka nba naa ta maipagmalaki pud ba. Never naku na imagine na ingun ani sya ka nindot. Murag Singapore ang Stadium nato. Maka-proud uy,” Tabal said in an online interview with CDN Digital.
(I really had goosebumps when I arrived last night. Going inside the stadium, you would really be wowed by how beautiful it is. You would feel like crying because we finally have something we can be proud of. I never imagined that it would be this beautiful, our stadium is really like that of in Singapore. It will really make you proud.)
Tabal also praised the Athlete’s Village especially the rooms and the dining area.
She said her room is more spacious than the one she stayed at in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil when she competed in the Olympics in 2016.
“Nindot jud ang stadium pati ang athletes’ village. Sa dining pud, same jud sa ako naadtuan na mga SEAG ug ASIAN Games, dili sab ta paulahi mao maka proud,” narrated Tabal.
(The stadium and athletes’ village are really nice. The dining area is the same as those of the SEAG and Asian Games venues I have been. We are not behind, that is why I feel proud.)
She said there is room service for the athletes’ village.
Tabal said the people running the athletes’ village are very polite and are always armed with greetings of “good morning” and “good afternoon.”
Tabal described the P50-million controversial cauldron as “attractive” and the “first thing you will see as you enter the complex” becauss it is located at the center.
Tabal is currently in Tarlac as she had just finish a test run of the marathon route which was finalized on Thursday night, November 21.
Tabal will be defending the gold medal, the first gilt that the Philippines achieved during the 29th SEA Games in Malaysia.
Tabal said the start and finish of the marathon competition will be inside the stadium and then two loops outside which is rolling and not flat. / celr