Sports! Lots of it

This is a great time to be a sports fan.

With less than a week prior to the opening of the 23rd Southeast Asian Games on the 25th, I'm sure you're already excited of the things to come.

Before that grand opening set at the Cebu City Sports Center late this Friday afternoon, there is also the MTV Queen City Run that is happening this afternoon.

Aside from that, the Cebu City Olympics is also opening today. Honestly, I don't like the way they timed the staging of the City Olympics, but then this is another major sporting event that keeps sports fans busy enjoying the action either as participants or spectators.

While some people think that there is not enough publicity about the SEA Games, which I would say depends on how you perceive it, I believe that the biennial sports meet, which Cebu gets to be a part for the first time, is well promoted. All the detractors can just take a look at the piles of forms that have been filled-up by those who wanted to share the burden of the hosting by being volunteers for the various committees.

This afternoon, we shall see a new and, I believe, better Queen City Run. Yeah, I've written about it so many times and you now know that what makes it new is the change in time, the change in route, and the shorter distance among others.

I have to admit missing the first three editions of the race despite the fact that I was actively promoting them as part of my commitment to the organizing Cebu Visitors and Convention Bureau (CVCB), whose sports tourism projects I promised to support all out.

This year, Bernadette Jingco of Tourkonsult, the event manager, told me that a bigger celebration awaits the participants and the audience after the race.

Since the award rites and party happens in the evening, expect more fun without the heat of the sun telling you to just head home and rest after you run the ten-kilometer race.

With popular singers and bands to be featured in the concert after the awards ceremony, there are so many reasons to hang out at the Fiesta Strip of SM City Cebu tonight.

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The 19th Philippine Advertising Congress has also several sporting activities lined up for the delegates and sponsors.

Last Wednesday, close to a hundred took part in the golf event played at the Alta Vista Golf and Country Club. The round took a little long to finish, but we did not really notice it that much since we were there for fun and we had a lot of it.

I'm actually trying to explain why I missed my column last Thursday. Yes, I was at the golf course, but then the Ad Congress happens only every two years.

There is also a poker event and I learned about it only yesterday from hard-hitting columnist Bobit Avila, who topped one of the four tables set for the elimination round.

As of this writing, I believe they had their finals and Bobit will definitely give us an update soon.

Today, the badminton tournament will take place at the Metrosports Badminton Club. You can't anymore hold a convention now without holding a badminton tournament with thousands of Filipinos now hooked to the game.

OK, I have to cut this now. There's so much happening and I have to move to the next sporting event that's going on around town. By the way, you can also try the shooting game at the booth of The Star Group at the Ad Congress; so many people had a great time there the past two days.