SWU-Phinma unveils new gym

CEBU, Philippines — The Aznar Coliseum, owned by Southwestern University-Phinma, is once again open to students and athletes after getting a major facelift.

The court now has new maple flooring installed by the E-Sports International Incorporated, the country’s foremost sports facility supplier.

They also put high volume of low-speed fans for spectators comfort plus a skybox for VIPs. An electronic scoreboard will also be installed.

Although it’s a bit short of a standard basketball court, the Aznar Coliseum can still be utilized in CESAFI during the eliminations and non-crucial games.

Cebu Schools Athletic Foundation Inc. (CESAFI) Commissioner Felix Tiukinhoy Jr.said that because of the additional playing venue, they will look into for a possible “home-and-away” format next season.

Aside from basketball, the court can also be utilized for volleyball since it has a high ceiling.

Along with the renovation of the court is the addition of world-class  strength and conditioning facility with rooms for recovery of athletes from their training and injuries.

The varsity’s dorm, however, is located in a separate building.

SWU-Phinma has varsity players in basketball, badminton and volleyball in college while the secondary levels are club-based.

The renovation of the said sports facility is part of SWU-Phinma’s P800 millon budget for construction and upgrade of its campus facilities for the benefit of its students and athletes.

SWU-Phinma’s athletic director, Pio Solon along with Raymond Priagula, the univerity’s vice president for operations, said they are also batting for the construction of an Olympic-size swimming pool.

After the renovation of the coliseum, SWU-Phinma’s next project is the rehabilitation of its track oval.

“I am really hoping that with this, we are able to contribute in making Cebu alive in sports again. This is not only for our students, but this is also in service for the Cebuano community as a whole,’ said Solon.