Cebu City is on track to complete the rehabilitation of the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) just in time for the CVIRAA. | via Cebu City News and Information
CEBU CITY, Philippines — As the countdown begins for the annual Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association (CVIRAA) in May, Cebu City is on track to complete the necessary rehabilitation of the Cebu City Sports Center (CCSC) and just in time for the event.
John Pages, chairman of Cebu City Sports Commission (CCSC), said via teleradyo online program, “Pagtuki, Pagsusi, Pagsuta,” on Tuesday, February 13, that they HAD “no other choice left” but to finish the rehabilitation on time.
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CCSC oval track asphalted
“It has to be finished. We have no choice,” he said.
Pages also shared updates of the rehabilitation under work, saying that they had already asphalted the oval track which would be rubberized sometime around next month.
He said that the former kiddie pool next to the main pool was turned into a warm-up pool and that construction on the Olympic-sized swimming pool was almost complete.
Pages guaranteed that by April of this year, the renovated oval and swimming pool of the city sports facility would be operational.
“I am in touch with the contractors, we have imparted to them the need to finish in April,” he said.
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CVIRAA a test for Palaro
The chair of the commission further revealed that the renovation of the pool and bathrooms was paid for by private businesses, while the oval track was supported by the City Government.
Pages said that the CVIRAA meet would also test the city’s preparations for the upcoming Palaro.
“We are on schedule for the CVIRAA. But we want to make sure that as much as possible the playing venues of the regional meet are the same venues of the Palaro,” he said.
“In a way, we are able to experience it there” and improve after if needed, he added.
He added that they would be expecting as many as 10,000 to 12,000 athletes from Region 7.
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Sites for athletes in Palarong Pambansa
Meanwhile, Pages said that the event organizers had already selected sites for the athletes who would compete in the upcoming Palarong Pambansa in Cebu City later this year, including malls, colleges, and institutions in addition to the CCSC.
He expressed that the Palarong Pambansa would be comparable to the Olympics when it would come to Philippine sports.
Pages stated that the sports venues were split up into hubs by the organizing committee, which included the downtown, South Road Properties (SRP), and northern hub.
The University of San Carlos, Cebu Coliseum, CCSC, Cebu Eastern College, University of the Visayas, and Cebu Institute of Technology-University are among the institutions located in the downtown center.
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The Filinvest site, where the Sinulog Festival took place last month, and SM Seaside City Cebu are part of the SRP hub. However, as for the northern hub, he did not go into much detail.
As per Pages, the city expected a significant number of guests for this historic event, roughly 12,000 student-athletes and coaches, excluding the number of parents who will be attending to watch the multi-sport competition.
According to him, the theme of this year’s Palaro is “Beyond sports,” and the city is inviting participants to come experience Cebu two weeks before the sporting event to explore different experiences.
Pages further said that the official date of the event was still pending and not yet known.| Kim Ablaña, CTU Intern