The second Philippine Olympic Festival kicked off yesterday with football matches at the Philsports Arena as thousands of young, promising athletes geared up for a week of intense competition.
Cebu, Parañaque and Muntinlupa hurdled their opening assignments in the 15-under football, beating Masbate, 5-1, Camarines Norte, 3-1, and Quezon City, 2-0, respectively, for an auspicious start.
Hours later, the opening ceremony of the event gathering all the medalists in the POF legs held in Vigan, Naga, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro and Metro Manila was held at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
Robert Aventajado, chairman of the Philippine Olympic Committee and the man behind the POF, led POC president Jose Cojuangco and Philippine Sports Commission chairman Butch Ramirez in the opener.
Zamboanga del Norte Rep. Cesar Jalosjos, House committee chairman on youth and sports, declared the games open while Ramirez lit the POF cauldron in front of 4,000 athletes and officials.
“This is the finale of the POF’s search for potential athletes who could make it in the 2012 London Olympics,” said Aventajado of the event considered as a massive hunt for talents nationwide.
“From among the medalists after the (five) qualifying games, we hope to discover the best from the multitude of national team potentials,” he added.
There are 17 sports disciplines on tap in different venues like the Trace College in Laguna for aquatics, and malls like Robinson’s Place and SM Manila for muay and powerlifting.
Bulk of the action will be staged at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex which houses the track oval, baseball stadium, badminto hall, wrestling gym and basketball court.
Other events to be contested until Sunday are archery, arnis, athletics, baseball, basketball, chess, gymnastics, judo, karatedo, sepak takraw, table tennis, taekwondo and wrestling.
Action in aquatics, archery, athletics, judo, muay and wrestling will not commence until Thursday.
Baguio and Laguna, two of the favorites to win the overall crown, are fielding the biggest delegations of 200 and 172 athletes, respectively. Iloilo has 135 while Bicol has 123 bets.