Olympian-led Mandaue City grassroots sports program officially set

Olympian marathoner Mary Joy Tabal-Jimenez holds the official training jersey for the athletes of the Mandaue City Centralized Grassroots Sports Training Program. Joining her are the appointed sports coaches that oversees the program. | CDN Digital photo / Glendale Rosal

MANDAUE CITY, Philippines — Mandaue City is set to transform its youth sports scene with the launch of the Manduae City Centralized Grassroots Sports Development Program, spearheaded by Olympian marathoner Mary Joy Tabal-Jimenez.

The program offers free trainings across eight sports: basketball, volleyball, running, table tennis, badminton, karate, chess, and sepak takraw. Tabal-Jimenez, now a sports leader, has enlisted prominent Mandauehanon sports figures to coach these disciplines, including basketball icon Elmer Cabahug and elite chess player Leila Nadera.

Starting this August 3 and 4, over 400 local kids under 12-years-old will participate in this long-term initiative.

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Tabal-Jimenez envisions a structured and systematic approach to nurturing young talent, aiming to discover and develop athletes who could shine on national and international stages.

“I already manage a grassroots running program in Cebu City, but Mandaue City needed its own comprehensive system,” she said.

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“With the help of these dedicated coaches, we aim to identify and cultivate talent that will represent Mandaue in major competitions like the Batang Pinoy and the Philippine National Games,” Tabal-Jimenez added.

The program will run for five years, focusing on each athlete’s development to pinpoint their strongest sports. And as the athletes progress, they will compete in various events and benefit from Mandaue City’s scholarship program.

In the future, the program plans to introduce additional sports disciplines, expand training facilities, and collaborate with National Sports Associations (NSA) for advanced training techniques.

Tabal-Jimenez and Mandaue City Mayor Jonas Cortes share a vision of building a legacy where future elite athletes proudly trace their success back to this groundbreaking program.