Double treat for athletics aficionados

The month of May will be a very busy one for Philippine sports with the staging of two international track and field events – the Milo National Open and the third and final leg of the Asian Grand Prix Series 2002 – at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.

The Milo-sponsored meet, also known this year as the Gov. Sering Cup International Invitational, will be staged May 1 to 4 with local organizers expecting entries from different countries like Brunei, Thailand, Hong Kong and the Middle East.

The Sering Cup will be held in honor of Gov. Jose Sering, the former Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) president, Patafa chairman and founder of the Asian Amateur Athletic Association (4 As) who passed away last Feb. 14.

The Grand Prix will be held May 26 with the top six Asians in each of the 15 track and field events competing. As host, the Philippines is allowed to field two entries in all the events offering $2,000 for first place, $1,000 for second and $500 for third.

Athletics chief Go Teng Kok said during yesterday’s press launch that local track stars led by Eduardo Buenavista and Lerma Bulauitan will see action in the Grand Prix. The first two legs are set May 18 in India and May 24 in Thailand, respectively.

The two events come at a time when national tracksters are busy preparing for the 14th Asian Games in Busan, South Korea in September, giving them the opportunity to compete against Asia’s top runners without having to spend on overseas trips.

The athletics chief said that hosting the two events will give the Patafa a good chance to screen who among the local tracksters will see action in the Asian Games. "Definitely, if they don’t have a chance, they will not go," said Go. — Abac Cordero