Sports center oval almost ready

CEBU, Philippines — The laying of the rubber granules at the Cebu City Sports Center has finally begun while other employees are busy repainting the grandstand and other areas to look like brand new for the Palarong Pambansa 2024 from July 9 to 17.

Earlier, the contractor promised to lay down the rubber granules immediately after the staging of the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association.

However, after the laying of asphalt for stability and support of the track, nothing was done anymore, causing more delay.

The preventive suspension of Mayor Michael Rama added worry to many including the Department of Education, but acting Mayor Raymond Garcia told DepEd Regional Director Salustiano Jimenez not to worry as they are doing everything to ensure the success of the Palaro.

Jimenez, during his meeting with Garcia, could not help but say that the oval should really be finished as it is one of the reasons why Cebu City won the bidding for the Palaro.

After all the worries, the rubber granules are now in place. The adhesives have also arrived.

The adhesive or binder is mixed with the granules to bind them together and create a resilient and shock-absorbing surface flexible enough to accommodate the movement of athletes.

The FREEMAN learned from one of the overseers of the construction work, Bernard Ricablanca, that work for the rubber laying began last Saturday yet.

The one being currently worked on is the D section or the inner part of the oval which will be used for the throwing events. The other side of the D section will be for hurdles.

After the base granules, another set of granules will be placed on top of the surface which, Ricablanca said, is also already on standby.

Once the rubber granules are applied, the surface is leveled and smoothed out and should be allowed to cure to ensure that the binder has already properly set. Curing time may vary on the specific product used.

The rubberized track oval will be used for the track events in the medal-rich athletics events.

Ricablanca hopes that the contractor will work even at night to get things done as soon as they can to make up for delays.

Aside from the oval, the facelift of the grandstand and repainting of the surrounding buildings are also ongoing.

The base of the cauldron has also been erected. It’s in a separate location from the oval and will also have a different design from the old one. — (FREEMAN)