History unfolds for Cebu sports as first ever Milo Little Olympics National Championships fires off tonight

CEBU, Philippines - History beckons in Cebu sports world today as the first ever National Championship of the Milo Little Olympics, the country's biggest and best-run junior athletic meet, takes off with a total of 2,333 athletes and coaches from all over the country at the Cebu City Sports Center.

But before the showdown of the best begins, representatives from host Visayas, Luzon, Mindanao and the powerhouse National Capital Region (NCR) will savor first the Cebuano warmth and candor through the festival-themed opening ceremonies that will promptly start at 6 pm.

The grand and elaborate kick-off salvo will feature six festivals showcasing the rich history and culture of the Cebuano people. Expected to add glitz and glamour to the affair is Cebuana pop sensation Rakki Vega, who will render an Olympic song number.

Department of Education (DepED) secretary Jesli Lapuz, his Department of Tourism (DoT) counterpart Joseph Ace Durano and Nestle Philippines Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Mills spearhead the list of highly-esteemed luminaries set to grace the momentous event.

Despite being battered by typhoon "Pepeng", Luzon was able to field in the second largest contingent of 332 members. Ditto with NCR with 304.

These developments came as a surprise to Nestle Assistant Vice President and Sports Executive Pat Goc-ong considering that Luzon and Metro Manila are still reeling from the effects of two powerful storms that hit the country.

“Diha nimu makita ang interest sa mga bata ug pati sa mga parents. Can you just imagine what they went through and yet, here they are, mas una pa gani nangabot ang mga taga Ilocos, Tuguegarao for the National Milo Little Olympics," said Goc-Ong.

The organizers of the event are imposing strict measures on the qualification of athletes to ensure fair play. Right after all the regional games, the documents of the winning athletes have been reviewed over and over to make sure that only those who are qualified can see action in the landmark MLO national finals.

In fact, Visayas head of delegation Ricky Ballesteros bared that two days ago, they banned one of the winning coaches identified as Guillermo Saga of Umapad, Mandaue City after finding out that he fielded in an athlete of one school to another.

“That athlete misrepresented a school. He has big potentials. Layo ra kayo ang time sa second niya, but we have to disqualify him due to technicalities,” said Ballesteros.

On the other hand, most coaches from Visayas viewed their being the host as more of a pressure than an advantage.

Football coach Francis Ramirez for one was reluctant to promise anything, saying that he will just let the performance of his athletes do the talking for him.

To make sure that there will no biases in officiating especially that most of the tournament managers come from the host region, all the officials have been briefed to be fair in their judgment calls.

“I have been emphasizing this to all officiating officials and tournament managers to be fair. It is our name that is at stake here, kita ra man puy mauwawan if ma-bias ta,” said Ballesteros.

A total of 13 events will be featured in the two-day sports conclave. These are the medal-rich athletics and swimming, badminton, chess, football, gymnastics, lawn tennis, scrabble, sipa, sepak takraw, table tennis, taekwondo and volleyball.

Majority of the games will be played at the CCSC, while gymnastics will be at the University of San Carlos lawn tennis at Baseline, sipa and sepak takraw at YMCA, and volleyball at the University of Southern Philippines Foundation.

The overall champion will be decided based on points. A perennial trophy will be awarded to the region that will clinch the championship for three consecutive years. – THE FREEMAN